Hayate no Gotoku FF
by OohRah
Summary: It is December 3rd, 9 months since Hinagiku realized her feeling for Hayate. Christmas and New Years is around the corner, and she has yet to confess to him. What does fate have store for her? Here is my attempt at what might actually happen in the manga.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Ch.1 – If everything stays the same.

It is December 3rd, 9 months since the day Hinagiku realized her true feelings for Hayate. Within those nine months, various events have occurred: A trip to the Shimoda Onsen, a visit to the gravesite of Nagi's mother's, White Day, Nagi started working, Sakuya's birthday, Hinagiku telling Ayumu about her feelings in regards to Hayate, trip to Greece, reunion of Hayate with Athena, Ayumu's birthday, Nagi attends Comiket, and so much more. Yes, 9 months have passed since Hinagiku realized her feelings for Hayate, yet Hinagiku has yet to transmit that feeling to Hayate. Christmas is around the corner, Hinagiku! What are you going to do?

Another boring day at school, and another messy day after school, thought an irritated Hinagiku. "God, big sis can be such a pain sometimes. Just because it is her day off today, doesn't mean she can just come to school drunk. On top of that, she even asked me for some money!" Does she do this on purpose to torture me, thought Hinagiku.

Hinagiku continues to walk down street with that thought heavily on her mind, that she was not paying attention to where she was walking nor who and what is in front of her.

Ouch, was the sound Hinagiku heard after bumping into someone.

"Watch where you are going you jer-" replied Hinagiku, however she didn't finish her sentence because who she realized she bumped into. She looked up. Hinagiku was a bit speechless.

"Hinagiku-san," says Hayate. "Are you okay? You are not hurt, are you?"

As Hayate said that, all Hinagiku could see were pink petals shooting from him towards her. Hayate was seen with a bishounen look through her eyes. She could only blush.

"H-H-Hayate," stuttered a flustered Hinagiku. "I am fine. But you should really pay attention when you are walking."

"Umm, actually Hinagiku-san," replied Hayate, "I tried to wave and say hi to you when I saw you, but seems like you didn't see or hear me. Then you suddenly just bumped into me. That was some fast walking you had there, as I couldn't get out in time."

"Ohh, really?" asked Hinagiku. "If that is the case, then I apologize about it. I am just a bit angered at my big sis about today. I have also been thinking a lot about the Christmas that is coming up. Sorry that I was lost in my thoughts, and wasn't paying attention. I guess I should pay attention a bit more."

"Don't worry about it," says Hayate, "As long as you are not hurt. Well I have to get going now. Lady Nagi will be pissed if I don't return home soon. See ya."

The two waved goodbye to each, as Hayate went his way and Hinagiku went her way. Hinagiku's face started to turn red after Hayate left. She was filled with embarrassment.

I bumped into Hayate, was what ran inside of her head. I touched him. In that instant where we bumped into each other, it felt like an eternity that we were holding each other.

Too bad for Hinagiku that she forgot she almost called Hayate a jerk. So much for the idea of an eternity of holding each other; it was nothing as romantic as you thought it to be.

Lost in her own thoughts, Hinagiku finally arrived at work. "Well then, time to start work."

Switch to Hayate.

"I'm back," say Hayate as he returned home.

"Welcome back," greeted Nagi. "How was your day today?"

"It was the same ol' same ol'," says Hayate. "Nothing happened. Oh, but Hinagiku did bump into me on my way home."

"What did you say?" asked an agitated Nagi.

"N-N-Nothing happened. I swear, but I think I made her mad again" replied a stuttering and intimidated Hayate.

"I guess you are right. Oh wells." Says Nagi.

Back to Hinagiku.

It has been a few hours since Hinagiku started working her part-time job. The restaurant is empty. There hasn't been a customer for at least an hour. In fact, there had been only 3 total customers all day since Hinagiku started working. Within the past hours where there were no customers, Hinagiku was busy reading thru magazines; most were about Christmas since today is December 3rd. The manager was well aware of what she was doing, but paid no attention to it. He knows that there are no customers. He knows that Christmas is around the corner. He did not mind one bit.

"Hinagiku-san?" asked the manager.

"Yes?" asked Hinagiku.

"Since there are no customers here, and I doubt there will be anymore customers today," says the manager. "Even if we do receive a customer or customers, it shouldn't be much; nothing that I can't handle. I also saw you looking at the magazines that past hour."

Hinagiku gasp in shock. She started to worry a bit. She is worried that she might get fired for slacking off despite no customers.

"What I am trying to say is," says the manager, "Why don't you take the day off? I know how important Christmas is to everyone. Don't worry, you are not in trouble. Even if it's not about Christmas, at least this gives you more time to study or take care of other businesses."

"Can I really?" asked an excited Hinagiku. She was given a yes, jumped up in joy, and then coughed to excuse her excitement. "Thank you. I'll be taking off then." Off goes Hinagiku.

Hinagiku is excited that she was able to leave early. There is ONE thing that she forgot that might crash her happiness. She just realized that she didn't know what to do, nor did she buy any gifts for anyone? She also just realized that she doesn't have much money. Most of the money she was carrying with her today was given to her drunken sister at school today. Needless to say, she never brought much money today because she sort of anticipated Yukiji-sensei to ask for money, therefore didn't really give much away. All the money that she does have is safely at home.

Since she did not feel like going home and then going to shop again, Hinagiku chooses to either just shop now or go shopping tomorrow or another day. She reached into her pocket to see just how much money she has. 1, 2, 20, 50; only enough to buy some taiyaki. "Only enough for ONE taiyaki?" questioned a disappointed Hinagiku. What to do? She has no money. If she knew, she would have continued to work, and let the manager leave early instead. She cannot go shopping. What should she do now? Her stomach growls loudly. Seems like taiyaki is not a bad choice after all if that was all she could afford on an empty stomach. Shopping will be placed on hold until tomorrow or another day.

Today has not been Hinagiku's day. One could say it was a bad day for her. But then again, she always have bad days despite her having good grades, excel in sports, is strong, beautiful, an admired by many of the students of Hakuō Academy. Nevertheless, she still has bad days. The day is not over yet. She still has a few more hours until the day ends, still a few minutes from home, still walking on an empty stomach looking for a taiyaki stand. Will the rest of the day be better for her, or will it continue to be bad? Only fate knows what is in store for her.

Hinagiku finally finds a taiyaki stand. She orders a red-bean taiyaki, and as she attempts to pay for the food, she gets bumped by an individual. Hinagiku falls to the ground.

"Are you alright?" asked the man who bumped into her.

"Honey," say the woman that was with him, "why don't you be more careful? How dare you bump into this beautiful young lady here? Where are your manners? Apologize right now."

"I'm sorry for bumping into you, Miss," says the man. "Sorry, it's just been so long since I came to Tokyo. Tokyo has changed too much for me that I need a map." The man then let out a chuckle for his mistake.

"Don't worry about it," replied Hinagiku. "Tokyo is a big city after all, and it is easy to get lost for anyone who hasn't been back here even that person used to live here. I am not hurt also. Huh?" Hinagiku just realized that she dropped and lost all the money she had, the money she needed to pay off the taiyaki. "Ahh, my money! I can't find my money! I guess I won't have my taiyaki anymore."

Both the man and the woman were worried and felt bad about what had happened to Hinagiku. To make it up to Hinagiku, both agreed to pay for the taiyaki. Hinagiku was hesitant to accept their offer, even though they DID cause her to lose her money. Hinagiku's stomach growled.

"Well then," says Hinagiku, "I guess I can accept it".

"You know what," says the man, "if you are not in a rush, how about we treat you to some dinner or dessert as an apology, since I don't think just paying for the taiyaki is enough."

Before Hinagiku could say anything, her stomach growled even louder. Everyone just chuckled a bit, and Hinagiku accepted the offer without having a chance to deny the offer.

The three decide to just go to a pastry shop and have some pastry/dessert. Each of the orders have been placed, and brought to each individual.

"I really appreciate it," says Hinagiku, "that you guys are treating me to this pastry."

"It's no worries," says the woman. "It is the fault of my husband from bumping into you, and causing you to lose your money. It is also my fault that I could have prevented it, if I too had been paying attention."

"So," says the man, "what might your name be?"

"Katsura," says Hinagiku.

"Katsura," says the man, "H-H-Hinagiku-san?"

Hinagiku was shocked, stupefied, or whatever synonym you can come up with. How did this man know her first name? How did this man who she just bumped into a few minutes know her first name? How did this man she never seen before know her name? Hinagiku is pretty sure she never mentioned her first name to either two. But just HOW? Is this man perhaps one of her elementary teacher, she thought. An old neighbor maybe? Perhaps he was a stalker and had been planning this event for a while. Just who IS this man in front of her?

"So you are," continued the man, "indeed Hinagiku, the younger sister of Yukiji."

Scared to say anything, Hinagiku let out a small breath of fear, and said "Yes. But how did you know my name? And how did you know Yukiji is my elder sister? Just who ARE you two?"

"Hinagiku-san," replied the woman instead. "There is a perfectly good reason for how we know both you and Yukiji."

"It's been a long time, Hinagiku," says the man.

"What do you mean, 'it's been a long time?'" asked Hinagiku. "Who are you two?"

"The truth is," replied the man. A long paused ensure after that statement.

"Hinagiku," says the woman. "We are your parents. We are your BLOOD parents."

~To be continued~


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Ch.2 – Tears help lubricate the eyes.

"The truth is," replied the man. A long paused ensure after that statement.

"Hinagiku," says the woman. "We are your parents. We are your BLOOD parents."

Shocked, can hardly be the correct word to describe Hinagiku's feeling and face. What word should be used in this context of Hinagiku if "shocked" was not the proper descriptive adjective in this case? Shall we say she was stunned or wowed? Nonetheless, she was speechless and could not reply back in a proper manner. What was going on in her head? How does she feel having been told that the two people in front of her are her parents? They are her parents who deserted Yukiji and her about 11 years ago and leaving behind a debt of 8 million yen (approximately 1 million USD). Before she could do any heavy thinking into this, are these people telling the truth or just messing with her?

"Let me get this straight," says Hinagiku, after settling down a bit, "you say that you are my parents, right? How can I be sure that what you are telling me is the truth? How do I know that you are not just some stranger trying to kidnap me for ransom?"

The man and woman looked at each other for a few seconds.

"Well," replied the woman. "I'll say what I can say without saying anything unnecessary. I am sure that what I will tell you should be sufficient. But if you have any other questions, feel free to ask us anything. But we will be cautious as to what we will tell you. Is that fine?"

"It's fine."

"To your question about how we ARE your parents?" continued the woman. "You should be 16 years old by now. Your birthday is March 3rd. You have a fear of heights ever since you were little."

"So what?" interrupted Hinagiku. "Anyone who knows me knows that I am 16 years old, and my birthday is March 3rd. I hate to admit it, but everyone knows that I have a fear of heights."

Mentioning this, Hinagiku really wonders who does know about her age, birthday, and her fear of height. Hayate knows this information, but whom else? There is also Risa, Miki, Izumi, Yukiji, Ayumu, and a handful of other people. Perhaps Nagi also knows this information. Even if these people have never seen her before, it is not hard to get any of this information. All anyone needs to do is ask Hayate, Risa, or anyone I am close to- any of my friends.

"We knew that you were going to say this," says the man. "I agree that what have been mentioned to you was insufficient. I'm sure in your mind you are thinking that there is nothing special about this information, and can be obtained from any of your friends. There are some things we can say, but we caution on how the information would be received. We were saving this as a last resort to convey and convince that we are your parents. Hinagiku, what I am about to tell you, please be within control."

Last resort, huh? Just what does this man have to say? He already mentioned her age, birthday, and her fear of heights. Will he mention who she has a crush on? But then again, only Ayumu has been told of it. Either ways, this is not relevant to proving if they are her parents or not. In fact, the parents left BEFORE she met Hayate, and it was only 9 months ago when she found out she loved him. If for some odd reason that this topic is to be brought up, Hinagiku will know that the two are lying. Then again, they could have asked Ayumu about who she likes. But that still does not prove that these two are her parents. Anyone could ask Ayumu who she likes. Which makes Hinagiku thinks more, did anyone ask Ayumu about who Hinagiku likes? Hinagiku breaks down with a red face in front of the two.

"Is something the matter?" asked the woman. "You don't look so well."

"Oh, no," replied flustered Hinagiku. "It is n-n-nothing. I was just t-t-thinking too much."

"Thinking about some guy huh?" asked the woman.

"N-N-No no." says Hinagiku. "T-T-T-There is no guys I like. But, anyways we are g-going off t-topic here."

The man and woman left out a chuckle. Hinagiku noticed that the two were hesitant to say what they wanted to say. Perhaps what they want to say was important and would be convincing. The two looked at each other and discussed who would tell Hinagiku. Method of choice: ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS. Hinagiku looks over with an "OMG" look. The woman lost, and proceeded to speak.

"Hinagiku," says the woman. "Your blood-type is O, correct? Well I know that this isn't all that important, but not many people would know this that isn't in the medical field that knows you."

"Honey," interrupted the man. "I think I can tell her."

"Hinagiku," continued the man, "it HAS been a long time hasn't it? It's been too long that I don't remember my way around Tokyo. How long has it been now? 10 or 11 years already?"

10 years? What happened 10 years ago? If Hinagiku remembers correctly, she was 6 years old 10 years ago. Nothing really happened 10 years ago did it? Only one thing happened–. Wait. He can't mean what happened 10 years ago, can he? There is no way. It is impossible. Not that many people know what happened to her 10 years ago. Only Yukiji and Hayate know. She doubt that either the two mentioned this to anyone since this is a very sensitive issue. She doesn't even think either remembers it. There is only one way to find out.

"T-T-Ten years?" asked Hinagiku. "What do you mean 10 years?"

"Well," answered the woman. "What happened 10 years ago must have been very hard for you. 10 years ago, we disappeared without saying anything and left an 8 million yen on the shoulders of Yukiji and you."

Only Yukiji and Hayate know this about what happened. Hinagiku doesn't know how to react, nor know what to say. She had almost given up the thought about why her parents left her and why they couldn't take her with them. Since her birthday, and with the eventual meeting with Hayate on the patio in the student council room, she decides that she has friends who will always be there for her and that she needs to see what lies in front of her. She has not given a thought much about her parents since then. She thinks about them on occasion, but does not let her past tie her down from seeing what lies ahead of her. But now, these two people in front of her know about what happened to her 10 years ago. Only 2 other people know about it. What if these people are Hinagiku's parents? How would she react if it is true? Should Hinagiku be happy? Should she be sad that it brought back bad memories? Should she be upset that she (and Yukiji) was abandoned? Without doing much thinking, Hinagiku lets her emotions out without restraint.

"W-W-Why?" asked a crying Hinagiku with a clenching fist. "I loved you guys. But why did you have to leave me? Did you not know how I felt when you left? I swore I wasn't going to cry anymore. But I just can't hold back. Why?"

The parents began to cry.

"We are sorry," replied the sniffling mother. "We are sorry Hinagiku. We are sorry that we left you alone, and you had to fend for yourself. We feel terrible for what we did."

"It's okay, mom," says a crying Hinagiku. "I was lonely. I was sad. I was angry. I loved you guys. But why, mom? Why did you have to leave?"

"Sweety," says the crying dad. "We are sorry that we left you behind. We had no choice but to leave. We didn't want to leave you or Yukiji behind. If we could, we would have brought you both with us. But something came up. I can't say much, but we just couldn't bring you with us. We are sorry."

How nice. A faithful and fateful reunion for the Hinagiku and her parents. Things can't get any better than this. Hinagiku had always lived under the shadow of her parents leaving. But now, now her past is right in front of her. The three have finally calmed down a bit, and Hinagiku regained her composure.

"Well," says the father, "it seems that you have been doing fine and ARE doing fine. Look at you, Hina. Look at how beautiful you have become."

Hinagiku lets out a little blush.

"My," says the mother. "Honey is right. You are indeed very beautiful. All the guys must be all trying to get all you, right Hina? I am getting a little jealous here."

The image of Hayate popped into Hinagiku's head after what the mother said. Hinagiku's blush changed into a tomato-colored face.

"Oh my god mom," replied Hinagiku. "T-T-That is not true. You are embarrassing me."

"My, oh, my. Look how red she has become, Honey. Hina's got a boy-toy already. So, who is this lucky boy that I don't know about sweety?" says the mother.

"Quit it mom. T-T-There is n-n-no one."

"Your action speaks louder than your words, Hina. Honey, say something, why don't you?" says the mother.

"Now, now," says the father. "Hina is 16 years old now. Of course Hina would be getting the guys. I won't stop her. If she says she got a boyfriend, likes someone, or doesn't, I won't butt in."

The mother and father continue to joke around a bit with Hinagiku in terms with her love life. The conversation continues for about another 5 minutes.

"Well," interrupted Hinagiku, "I am also attending Hakuō Academy. In fact, I am the student council president, and also the president of the kendo club. Yukiji has also picked a job there as a world-history teacher."

"Oh my," says the mother. "Our little daughter has grown up so much. Not only is our daughter beautiful, but she is also smart and hard working. I am so proud of her."

"So mom, dad," ask Hinagiku. "Why are you back in Tokyo? Why did you decide to come back?"

"We just wanted to see you dear," replied the mother. "It HAS been about 10 years since we left you. Both your father and I have always wanted to return to visit you these past years. We both wanted to visit you together. However, they have not been a time where BOTH of us could come down together. When I am free, your father was not. When your father was free, I was not. It was such a pain, and such an inconvenience to us both. But now, both your father and I are free for some days this month together."

"To tell you the truth, sweety," interrupted the father, "we did not expect to see this early. We wanted to surprise you around Christmas or Christmas Eve. We were only on our way back to our old house but got lost. And that's when we bumped into you. And here we are now."

Hinagiku lets out a smile of relief. The father and mother whispered to each other for a minute.

"Hina," says the father. "We have a proposal for you. We were originally intending to come and surprised you around Christmas or Christmas Eve time. We wanted to see if you would want to come with us and live with us?"

"Live with mom and dad again?" asked Hinagiku.

"That is correct," replied the mother. "There is just one condition though. If you DO come live with us…..

…..

…..

"It would be pretty impossible to return here and see your friends again."

~To be continued~


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Ch.3 – Yin or Yang, Heads or Tails, Shake or Bake?

"Hina," says the father. "We have a proposal for you. We were originally intending to come and surprised you around Christmas or Christmas Eve time. We wanted to see if you would want to come with us and live with us?"

"Live with mom and dad again?" asked Hinagiku.

"That is correct," replied the mother. "There is just one condition though. If you DO come live with us…..

…..

"It would be pretty impossible to return here and see your friends again."

Hinagiku was unable to hold the food that was in her mouth. All the food came rushing out and hitting the father's face.

"Sorry about that" stuttered Hinagiku. "Umm…"

Hinagiku was lost in words again. Did her parents just mention to her that she can live with her parents together from now on? Did she also hear right when they mentioned that it would be impossible to see her friends again, if not, then nearly impossible? Just how long is the father going to let the food stay on his face? Never mind, he just wiped the food off his face. Nonetheless, what choice will Hinagiku make? Will she choose her friends whom she has known for the past couple of years in the absent of her parents? Or will she choose the parents whom she loved so much whom left her years ago? Will she choose the bonds that she created with her friend? Or will she choose her parents whom she loved so much whom left her years ago? Miki, Isumi, Nagi, Izumi, Risa, Ayumu, Maria, Yukiji, Hayate, and many more.

Hayate, especially Hayate, is one whom Hinagiku will have to give up if she wants to live with her parents.

But her parents, she loved her parents so much and the ones she have never seen for over 10 years. But she still has yet to confess to Hayate.

But her parents, she loved her parents so much.

But there is still the bet with Ayumu whether Hinagiku will confess first or Ayumu will win Hayate's heart.

But Hinagiku still haven't seen her parents for 10 years.

But Hinagiku still has yet to complete school at Hakou Academy.

But Hinagiku's parents were the reason why she has developed her fear about losing the people she is closed to, and preventing herself to love someone.

But they are her parents; her mother and father.

But they are the Kazuki Tsuda that caused her to go Suzuka Asahina on her Yamato Atsuki also known as Hayate.

BUT THEY ARE HER PARENTS! They gave birth and nurtured her right before Hinagiku's 6th birthday.

BUT THEY LEFT HER BEFORE SHE WAS 6!

"Ummm," Hinagiku stuttered. "C-C-Can I get a moment to think about this?"

"Sure you can," replied the mother. "We will be here for about 3 more days. Meet us at THAT place in 3 days before 1600, or 4pm. If we do not see you there, we can safely assume that you have made up your mind about staying here. We understand how hard it will be to have to say goodbye to your friends. Hope 3 days is enough to say your goodbyes if you do choose to come back with us."

"Thank you. Thank you for the meal. I will be going now."

"Goodbye," said her parents as they waved goodbye to Hinagiku as she left for home.

…

The next day arrived.

There was no way that Hinagiku could forget what she was told yesterday. She stood up all night, unable to sleep, thinking. A depressed and confused look loomed evidently on her face. She still cannot let it go. But why can she not let them go? Hinagiku is a strong person who hates to lose and hates to admit to losing. But why do THOSE words haunt her so that she cannot let them go? Her parents left her, but if she chooses her parents, won't that be like admitting you lost? But why is she still so deep in thought about it?

"Good morning, Hinagiku," greeted the trios of Risa, Izumi, and Miki.

"G-Good morning, you three," replied a weak Hinagiku.

"What's wrong Hinagiku?"

"N-n-nothing is the matter. Why do you ask?"

"You don't seem energetic. You seem weak."

"Is t-that so?"

"Yeah."

"W-Well I am just glad to see you, my friends. Well I gotta hurry up and get to class. See ya." Off goes Hinagiku running to class.

"Hmm, Hina was glad to see us in the morning?" discussed the trio. "She didn't say that we were annoying?"

Right before she got to the door to the school, Hinagiku ran into Hayate again who was with Nagi.

"Ouch," says Hayate. "Ohh, Hinagiku-san! Sorry about that. I-I'm sorry about that. Let me help-p you up."

"Oh Hayate-kun," says Hinagiku. "Good morning. I am fine. Sorry to run into you. Oh and hello to you too, Nagi. How are my friends from Hakou Academy doing? Never mind, I have to get going. Bye."

Off goes Hinagiku running towards class again, carelessly, bumping into more people and apologizing.

"Hmm?" mentioned Nagi. "Something is wrong here."

"What do you mean?" asked Hayate.

"She ran into you and knocked you over. And she even apologized nicely.

"And she called us her 'friends' nicely too. Something is wrong here."

"I-Is that so?" replied Hayate.

The day continued, and Hinagiku has been thinking about what her parents were talking about yesterday. She met the trio at the entrance. She met Hayate and Nagi at the door to school. She met Ayumu at the market buying Pocky. She even met a lost Isumi in a bath towel in the public bath. She has yet to make a choice. Two more days, thought Hinagiku, to think about it.

The second day arrived. Hinagiku slept a few hours. What happened in school was the same as yesterday. She ran into the trio at the front gate. She ran over Hayate again, 3rd day in a row. She went to class. She did her student council work. She went to work. She was still thinking about what was told during the meet-up with her parents two days ago. To take a different approach and to help clear her mind a bit, Hinagiku decides to take a break and go to the park a bit.

One more day, thought Hinagiku with her head down in thoughts. Tomorrow is the day where I have to make up my mind. I will have to choose between my parents or my friends. I understand that my parents left me about 10 years ago, but it doesn't mean that I hate them. I mean I was sad when they left me, but I'm sure that they HAD to leave. I am sure there is a perfectly good reason why they didn't or couldn't take me with them 10 years ago. I should have asked them why when we met 2 days ago. I am sure they still love me, and have never stopped loving me since then. But they still left me. I had to live with the pain and sadness since that day.

Hinagiku looked up and saw a mother and son walking together.

"Mommy, mommy," cried the son. "My birthday is next week!"

"That is right, my son," replied the mother. "You are gonna be a big boy now. You are going to be 6 years old soon!"

The mother-son bonding that she just witnessed added some sadness into Hinagiku's heart. On top of which, this son was to turn 6 years old, the same age when Hinagiku's parents left her.

Hinagiku looks down again. Almost 6 years old, she thought, was when they left me to fend for myself. If it wasn't for big-sis Yukiji, I don't think I would be alive today. It was these parents who left a big 8 million yen on big-sis and my back. Thanks to big-sis, our debt of 8 million yen had been paid off. Yes, it was our parents who left us and placed a huge debt on us.

Hinagiku looked up again, and saw a group of 4 girls around her age walking and chatting.

"Wow," mentioned one of the girls to another. "Your birthday is coming up in March again, right?"

"Yes," replied the second girl.

"Nice," said the third girl. "How old are you turning? What are you going to do?"

"I will be turning 17. I want to go karaoke and DRINK! I don't care what my parents say. They don't care about me. They are never home, and always going out to drink. I don't need them. I can do fine without them. As long as I have my friends beside me, I can survive. My friends ARE my family"

"Hahaha," laughed the fourth girl. "You are a bad girl. But you are right. You are pretty, and you are smart and reliable. And you do have a guy you like that you need to confess to. Maybe it can happen on your birthday!"

The three girls continued to walk off into the distance chatting and laughing.

They are right, thought Hinagiku. Even if your parents are of blood to you, you do not need to be blood to be FAMILY. The friends who have been there for you ARE family. My friends have never let me down, but my parents did leave me 10 years ago. They left me 10 years ago with an 8 million yen debt. But big-sis Yukiji DID pay it off. My parents were not here for my 16th birthday this year. My friends were. Hayate was there for my birthday. It was Hayate whom taught me that I needed to look at what is in front of me, and not behind. Hayate. I still have not told Hayate how I truly feel about him. I cannot just say goodbye to him and break the bet I have with Ayumu. If I leave now, I will never know if whether I win or Ayumu wins.

"It is starting to get dark. I better head home for the day." The day ends.

It is the next day, the eventual day that Hinagiku will make her choice. What will Hinagiku do? Will she stay or will she leave? What is the basis behind her reasoning for the choice she makes? Did she flip a coin? Did she do eeny-meeny-mynie-moe? We can only know when 1600, or 4pm hits.

"Good morning Hayate-kun!" says a cheerful Hinagiku after running over Hayate for the fourth straight day. "Are you alright?"

"Hehe," replied Hayate. "This is the fourth straight day you ran into me, Hinagiku-san. But I am glad that you are all cheery again."

"Really?" asked Hinagiku. "Oh, I didn't know that. But I'm always cheery and happy. Is that Miki over there? I'm going to say 'HI' to her. See ya Hayate-kun."

Hinagiku left the presence of Hayate, leaving him with a puzzled look. But he was relieved when he saw how happy and energetic Hinagiku was, so he left her as is.

…

…

The day went on.

Everyone went to their respective classes.

It was 2pm.

Hayate reached into his pocket.

"Huh?" questioned Hayate. "What's this?"

…

…

…

School is now over. Scene changes Hinagiku.

"Hinagiku-san!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

Hinagiku turned around. There she saw Hayate. Along with him, she saw Nagi, Ayumu, Miki, Risa, Izumi, and Isumi.

"I got the note you left in my pocket when you ran into me this morning," cried Hayate. "I read it and was shocked at what it said."

"We went to your house," cried Ayumu.

"But your parents said you weren't home," said Nagi.

"Your parents didn't know where you were," mentioned Risa.

"When we showed your parents the notes," cried Risa. "They were shocked. They told us they have a feeling where you might be."

"And that's why were able to find you here," says Izumi.

"Ummm," says Isumi. "Where am I? I am lost again. Hayate-sama?" Everyone let out a chuckle about Isumi's situation then went back to the main situation.

…

"Everyone," says Hinagiku with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you for coming."

"The truth is…"

…

…

"I have found my long-lost parents…"

…

"And I have decided to go back and live with them."

Hinagiku has decided to live with her parents? What sort of revelations are we coming to here? Why did she choose to live with her parents? Only one way to find out…

…

…

Next time on Hayate no Gotoku FF

…

~To be continued~


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Hello my fellow Fanfiction readers. I have a little note about chapter 4 here. This chapter will be a bit longer than my usual chapters. 2,694 words this chapter versus the usual ~2,000 words per chapter. There was just a lot of material that I want to cover in this chapter. I could have easily wrote 2 separate chapters of about ~1,800 words each chapter, but I kind of didn't want to drag this on much longer. Instead, I cut out some parts and condensed 2 chapters into 1. Enjoy chapter 4!

Ch.4 – I Like Pizza Too!

[Hinagiku's flashbacks]

I remember the day when I first met Hayate. I can't say for sure how I felt for him at that time. Hayate came to Hakuo Academy to deliver some lunch to Nagi. I remember how I was stuck up in a tree when I first saw him. I saw how Hayate was lost in the huge campus. The view of the clock tower caught his eye. He thought it was amazing and wanted to go up there since he was already on campus. Unknowingly to Hayate, the clock tower was only permissible for the student council. And that was when I finally said something.

I told Hayate that only the student council was permitted to enter "the deepest parts of the clock tower." Hayate was unaware of my presence. He turned around and finally saw me. I asked what a Sanzenin family butler was doing on campus. He replied with why I was up in a tree. Hmmm, why was I up in a tree again? I knew that climbing up a tree was dangerous, but why was I up in a tree? I remember that I was climbing up the tree for some purpose, and before I knew it, I couldn't get down. Yes, I was climbing up a tree like a cat. But why was I up in the tree? For what purpose would I climb up a tree knowing that I have a fear of heights?

Whatever the reason, I wanted to get down some way or another. I asked Hayate to catch me. He did not properly catch me. Instead, I accidently stepped on his face, but managed to get down thanks to him. I was really scared to be up there, and wanted to get down as soon as possible. I remember I didn't have to jump down. I remember Hayate assuring that he would have gone up and brought me down if I had waited. Such kindness could not be expressed in words.

Now I remember. I remember why I was up in the tree despite being afraid of heights. A bird fell down, and was all alone and crying. Why knew what would have happened if no one helped that little bird out. I just couldn't leave it alone and die. I had to put that baby bird back in the nest despite my fear of height. Afterwards, what looked to be a crow encroached the baby bird that I saved. What was that crow about to do to the baby bird? I got worried that I picked up a rock and attempted to hit the crow with it. Hayate stopped me from throwing the rock in fear that I risk hitting the baby bird that I just saved.

Where are the parents? Shouldn't they come to save their baby bird? I did not throw the rock. The parents came to the rescue. This baby bird is now safe from the crow. Or so I thought. The crow looked at the parent birds, and caused the parent birds to fly away in fear. I felt enraged when I saw what happened. A mother and a father should never abandon their child. I could relate to this baby bird. I had parents who left me when I was at a young age also. It made me tear up a bit from what I saw. I wanted to cry. Hayate felt my feelings. He quickly picked up a rock and intercepted an attack from the crow to the baby bird. He let out a warning to the crow that he wouldn't miss the next time if the crow does not back off. He assured to me that he had good control, and that's why he threw the rock.

After that was when we finally introduced ourselves. He introduced himself as Ayasaki Hayate. I introduced myself as Katsura Hinagiku, and was complimented for this name. As a token of thanks for helping me, I offered to take Hayate to the top of the clock tower. I am the student council president after all. He refused my offer initially, that he was already satisfied with the view and my fear of height, but I was able to convince him to go up. He would be more satisfied if he went up, and that this was a chance he should take to go to the top of the clock tower. It was my "thank you" gift to him.

…

I remember Valentine's Day. Despite the boys to receive the chocolates that day, I received a lot from other girls. Even Miki gave me some chocolates. I remember that was the day when I first met Ayumu. She was caught at the front gate by the campus security. They thought she was suspicious. But how could such a cute girl, such as Ayumu, be suspicious. I saw that the securities knocked down some of her items from her bag. I saw what it looked to be a box of chocolate; it was pink and heart-shaped. "Boys at our school would welcome a cute suspicious girl like her" I told the security guards. I picked up the chocolates, and took over the situation from there.

I asked this girl who the chocolates were for. She told me that it was for Ayasaki Hayate. Knowing how big Hakuo Academy is, I offered to call up Hayate to meet her at a location so she could give the chocolate to him. I called Hayate up to the student council room and had him meet with Ayumu. After a few minutes, I saw Ayumu running out. I wasn't sure what happened, but Hayate told me that he wasn't entirely sure but he received "obligation" chocolates and told him "Let's always be good friends."

I could see that Ayumu was just running away. After all, Ayumu told me that she has always had her eye on one person, and that is Hayate. I gave her some advice. Eventually, she was finally able to relay her message and give the correct set of chocolate to him. As thanks, she gave me some chocolate also, despite me already having tons.

…

I remember when Hayate got kicked out of the mansion for about three days. I offered to allow him to stay at our place until then. My step-mother didn't mind at all. In fact, she loved Hayate despite her age to him and a teenage girl also living in the house. My step-mother perfectly welcomed him without any thinking. I wanted to help him out as a good friend. I showed Hayate big sis Yukiji's room that he would be staying for the duration.

Hayate staying there made me wonder what happened that day on Valentine's Day. When I received the chocolates from Ayumu, she looked happy. Does this mean that Hayate and Ayumu were dating? I didn't know why I was so frustrated about who he was dating. Why would it be my business whom he would be dating or not? I didn't know why, but I thought it was because I wanted to cheer Ayumu on.

The second day that Hayate was over, my step-mother was not home. Big sis Yukiji was unexpectedly not home either. This left only Hayate, a young teenage boy, and me, a young teenage girl, alone in the same house. That was when I found out that Hayate does not have a girlfriend. I wasn't expecting this answer, as I always thought that he was dating Ayumu. I thought wrong. He wasn't dating Ayumu. I also found out what happened between the two on Valentine's Day. Ayumu didn't want an answer from Hayate. They were not dating.

I ran out of the house to buy some ice cream out of impulse when I realized that 2 single teenagers were left alone in a house together. That was when I met Ayumu in front of our house when I was returning. Some circumstances occurred but were able to get resolved. To help Ayumu out with Hayate, I offered her to stay at our house for the night. This would also help alleviate some tension about Hayate and I being alone together under the same roof.

Ayumu being there was also how I finally found out of Hayate's past. Hayate's parents abandoned him. Hayate doesn't have a home. I also found out that his parents left a 150 million yen debt for him to pay off. My parents also left me prior to my 6th birthday, and left an 8 million debt that Yukiji was able to pay off. That was when I thought that he may be carrying the same pain I have since my parents left me. That's when I thought that was the reason why I kept thinking about him. I have always seen him at the corner of my eye because we share similar pain. And I told Ayumu that I would be cheering for her.

…

I remember what happened on my 16th birthday. I was waiting for Hayate in the clock tower since 9pm for some known reason. I was asleep while waiting. He promised to give me an unforgettable birthday present for letting him stay for a few nights when he was kicked out from the mansion. He arrived at 11:30. I noticed that he was 1.5hrs late. It was my birthday, a very special day for a girl like me. I was furious that he was late for his promise. I couldn't control my emotions. I cried in front of Hayate. It was my birthday, my most important day of the year.

I received the present from Hayate. He gave me some handmade cookies. I was really grateful for receiving those cookies. It made me remember about my past birthdays about receiving a single cookie or a single hairpin. Hayate asked why such small gifts despite coming from a wealthy family. That was when I revealed to him the TRUTH about my parents, and my childhood. That was when he found out that my parents were not my biological parents and that Yukiji and I was abandoned before my 6th birthday with an 8 million yen debt. My sister took care of the debt, and her grade school teacher, the Katsura's, adopted the two of us.

I remember asking Hayate earlier if there was a reason why HIS parents couldn't take him with them. I love my step-mother, but at the same time I still love my biological mother. That was when Hayate took me to the terrace on the school tower despite my fear of heights. He held onto me me tightly. That was when he showed me what my fear of heights prevented me from seeing. I saw a perfect view of the lighting of Tokyo at night. It was such a beautiful view that I cannot fathom in words. This was also the view when Hayate and I first met but was scared to see. I could not believe that such a view was in front of me, but I had been scared to look at. That was when he told me that there may or may not be a reason why our parents left us. But where we stand at now isn't bad either. That was when I realized that I can't always keep looking into my past. I need to start seeing the present that is in front of my eyes that I have been always been scared to look at. That was when I realized for the first time.

I Love Him….

…

…

I remember when I confessed to Ayumu my feelings about Hayate. It was on a Ferris wheel that she tricked me to going on. I told her. She was not surprised. She wasn't mad. In the end, we agreed to make a bet. Will Hayate accept her feelings first? Or will I confess my feelings to Hayate first? To this day, I have yet to confess to him.

…

I remember visiting Shimoda Onsen with everyone, and visiting the gravesite of Nagi's mother. I remember visiting the aquarium with Ayumu. I remember going to Athens with everyone. I remember when Hayate told me who he is in love with. I remember it was Tennos Athena that he was in loved with. Yes, I remember all the fun things that WE all did together. I will never forget all the moments we spent together.

[/Hinagiku's flashbacks]

…

…

"Everyone," says Hinagiku with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you for coming."

"The truth is…"

"I have found my long-lost parents…"

"And I have decided to go back and live with them."

Everyone was in a state of shock. No one would have thought that Hinagiku would have found her parents. More or less, no one would think she would be leaving.

"But why do you have to leave, Hinagiku-san?" asked Hayate. "What about us? We are your friends?"

Hinagiku lets out a small smile on her face of relief.

"I love every single one of you," replied Hinagiku. "I thank you all for always being there for me. You are true friends that I can ever wish for. I will always remember everyone"

"I have been doing a lot of thinking. Leaving my friends would be the hardest thing I will probably ever do in my entire life."

"The truth is I still love my parents. I have never stopped loving them. I have always wondered why they couldn't take me with them when they left me. And now they are here, asking if I want to come back with them."

"I have built up many memories with all my friends here, and I am very grateful and happy to have such. However, I only have sad memories of my parents. I do not want my memories of my parents to be only sad memories. I feel as if I could start to build new memories with them."

"Hayate, do you remember the first time we met? You helped me get down from the tree at school. I climbed up there to help out the little bird that fell. After I finally got down, a crow was about to attack the little bird I saved. The parents came to the rescue, but ran away in fear. Remember what I said at that moment? 'A mother and father should never abandon their child'. I was speaking from experience and how I felt. After you scared that crow away, the parents came back for their child."

"I do not know the specific details, but I am hoping that what happened with my parents was similar to the parent birds. I saw how the parent birds returned. I am hoping that my parents' returning is a mirror of what happened with the birds. Yes, that is what I am hoping."

"Ayumu, I am afraid that I cannot keep the promise or bet we made on the Ferris wheel. Though I may be gone, I shall be cheering you on."

"Besides…"

Hinagiku turns around facing away from Hayate and company.

"I am almost 17 years old. I can visit everyone later in the future when I am financially able to."

Hinagiku lets out a few tear drops, crying, without her friends seeing her sadness. Before anyone could say anything to counter Hinagiku's statements, to add support or not, Hinagiku's father yells out for Hinagiku.

"Hinagiku!" yells the father. "Let's go now!"

"Coming!" replied Hinagiku to her father. "Goodbye everyone," says Hinagiku to her friends. Off goes Hinagiku running in tears.

…

…

[Hinagiku's flashbacks]

Yes, it was on my 16th birthday when I realized my feelings for Hayate. He held onto me on the terrace and showed me what was always in front of my eyes. That was when I realized I loved him.

[/Hinagiku's flashbacks]

…

…

Thank you Hayate, thought Hinagiku. You were the first one I loved. I am sorry that I never had the courage tell you this. Even now I still can't tell you how I truly feel about you. I was never able to tell you these words I want to tell you: 'I love you'. But now, it is Goodbye forever. Goodbye.

…

…

~To be continued~

Yes, this story will still continue. This is not the end! Look forward to chapter 5.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Hello my fellow Fanfiction readers. Sorry for the delay, but chapter 5 is finally out. I have been pretty busy with real life businesses, and haven't had the time to write up a new chapter. I am finally able to write up chapter 5. I have decided to make a few changes with how I tell the story, use of honorifics, and how I think each person addresses one another. Instead of Hinagiku calling Yukiji "big sis Yukiji", I have decided from now on to use "Yukiji nee-san", or whatever Hina calls Yukiji in the real manga/anime. I am also not 100% sure what each person calls each other, Hayate calling Hinagiku "Hinagiku-san" etc. If I make a mistake in this field, please let me know. I also read all the reviews that I receive and take them into consideration.

As for chapter 5, I feel that this might be the weakest chapter I have typed up so far. I apologize if this chapter does not meet the expectation of the readers because of the delay. I had a lot of troubles planning out what I wanted to write specifically for this chapter. Therefore, this chapter would be shorter than my usual.

I also expect chapter 6 should be shorter than usual also, as I am not sure exactly what I want to write. According to my timeline on what I want to write for each chapter, chapter 5 and chapter 6 would probably be the two chapters that I have the least idea for. In my opinion, according to my timeline, chapter 7 would be much juicier than chapters 5 and 6.

There is also no timeframe for the release of chapter 6, but should not take longer to release compared to chapter 5. Anyhow, please enjoy chapter 5.

Ch. 5 – I'm not drunk, I'm just red.

"Hayate-kun," says Hinagiku.

"Umm. There is one thing I want to tell you before I say my farewells; before I will never get the chance to be able to."

"I apologize for the way that I have treated you since I have known you. I apologize for all the harsh thing I have said to you and all the things I made you do. You probably hate me because of that, and probably think I do not like you too."

"The truth is…"

"Actually…"

"First I want to apologize to you for me not being truthful to you."

"The truth is…"

"I do not hate you. I can say with all my heart that I LOVE you. I have never been able to come to my true self when I am with you. Whenever you are near, time freezes for a moment and allow me to plan out how I should tell you the truth about how I feel. When the time unfreezes, I still do not have the courage to say what I wanna say. Instead, it feels as if time has moved backward, and I am back where I started, and still not able to convey my feelings. I feel like I am stuck, unable to get outside of a loop until I tell you the truth."

"But now that you are here, and I am in this predicament, I am able to tell you how I feel."

"Hayate-kun…"

"I love you."

"Now, I can move on without having to regret not conveying my feelings to you. Goodbye."

…

…

"Hinagiku?" asked the father. The father, mother, and Hinagiku are all a car driving away from where Hinagiku said her farewells to her friends.

"Huh?" asked Hinagiku waking up.

"Are you alright?" asked the father. "You have been mumbling a bit in your sleep. You are also crying quite a bit. I am a little worried about you right now. Are you by any chance hurt? Are you getting some pains because your mother is driving a bit erratically?"

"Honey!" shouted Hinagiku's mother.

Hinagiku was a little confused at what her father was talking about. She reached her hands up to her eyes to find that they are watery.

Why was I crying, thought Hinagiku. Oh, that is right. I remember now. It was only about an hour ago when I had to tell my friends that I would be leaving with my parents, and I might not be able to see them anymore. I was happy when I was able to see them right before I left. I am happy to have such great friends who came to see me off even though I told them to not chase me. When I saw their face, I could see how much they cared about me and did not want to see me leave. This made me sad. Why did they come? I knew I would be sad if I saw their faces. A dream, huh? That is right. It was a dream that I told Hayate how I truly feel for him. Even now I still have yet to tell him the truth. Will I ever be able to tell Hayate the truth? Will I ever see him again in the future? Will I find someone who I can love as I loved him? Will I? I am still sleepy…

As Hinagiku continues to think and contemplate about the situation that took place prior, Hinagiku went back to sleep. In that sleep, she had the same dream where she was able to tell Hayate how she feels for him. The father looks back at a sleeping Hinagiku and noticed that she was crying again. It must be hard for her to leave her friends like that, he thought.

/ends scene with Hinagiku.

…

…

Scene changes back to Hayate and company.

"Hi-Hinagiku-san," cried Hayate with his arms out as if he was trying to catch her. "D-don't leave us just yet."

Everyone that was on the scene was deep in thoughts, and was having troubles holding back their tears. Izumi did not have such a problem as she did not try to hold back and started to cry loudly. "Hina-chan!" yelled the crying Izumi, "Please don't leave us! I promise I won't mess with you anymore. I promise I will go to class every day. I promise to leave the 'idiot-trio' if you COME BACK! Wahhhh." Izumi continues to cry. Thanks to Izumi, everyone started to become more emotional. Holding back crying was becoming more difficult to do. Nagi begins to cry, and then Risa, then Miki, then everyone begin to cry. Ayumu was not immune, and she seems to be the one who looks like she is pained the most.

Hina-chan, thought Ayumu. I can't believe that you are leaving us. Why did you have to go? I now know it is because you wanted to make up with your parents but I still cannot believe you are leaving us. If I hadn't met you back on Valentine's Day, I would have never been able to give the chocolates I made to Hayate. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't met you. I don't know where I would be if I hadn't met you. It was you who made me stronger. My only wish right now is to have you back and we could continue our bet or promise. I shall try my best to get stronger on my own.

/ends scene with Hayate and company

…

…

Scene changes back to Hinagiku.

Hinagiku wakes up.

"So," says a sleepy but awake Hinagiku. "Where are we headed to now?"

The father looked back at Hinagiku and says, "We are heading to our home in Nagoya right now. We plan to stay there for a few days, a week or two, before heading out again. There are some things and businesses that we have to attend to first. What will happen after that will be explained to you later after we reached home. So don't worry for now, and just rest."

"Okay," replied Hinagiku as she falls back asleep. While driving the car, the mother looked outside the window. "We are about half-way there, honey."

/ends scene with Hinagiku.

…

…

Scene back to Hayate and company

It has only been about 2 hours since Hinagiku left the site and left with her parents, yet Hayate and company are still at the site.

_Ring, ring, ring_. Nagi's cell phone rings. She picks up the phone and has Maria on the other side of the call.

"Hello Maria?"

"Oh, Nagi, where are you at right now?"

"Hmm? I am out to see my friend goodbye, Maria. Something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that it is starting to get dark, and you haven't called yet. I was starting to get worried."

"I see. You don't have to worry about that. Hayate is also here with me, so nothing should happen to me."

"I see. Well if that is the case, then I have nothing to worry about. I will get dinner ready right now. The bath should be ready by the time you return home also. So, hurry back, okay?"

"I understand. Well, I'll see you later then. Bye."

"Bye."

Nagi hangs up her cell phone and tells Hayate that Maria had called her. Nagi then asked the company if they should call it a night, as it was starting to get dark, and it would be a bit dangerous if they stayed till it the sun completely sets and becomes dark. Everyone agreed that it had a long day, and that they should call it a night. Everyone said their goodbyes and parted ways. Hayate walked with Nagi back home, and discussed a bit about the situation involving Hinagiku.

With Hayate and Nagi back home, they were both greeted by Maria. Maria asked the two exactly what happened to have the two of them out this late, especially someone like Nagi. Hayate and Nagi had explained the situation, and Maria understood what had happened.

/ends scene with Hayate and company

…

…

Scene change to Hinagiku

The car that Hinagiku and her parents are in pulled up right in front of a really nice triplex building that is surrounded by a white-painted brick fence with an automatic sliding steel gate.

"We are here, Hinagiku," says the mother.

Hinagiku wakes up and looks outside the car. Even though it was dark outside, she is still able to see how huge the house is and the gate and fence that surrounds it. The gate opens up and the car drives in triggering some yard lights to turn on. Hinagiku is in awe when she sees the yard as the car is driving in. As the car finally parks, Hinagiku runs outside to take a better look at the house and the yard. This house is one of the biggest houses she has seen outside of the Sanzen'in's mansion that Nagi used to reside in. She then turns around and sees a garden of flowers and runs to it.

"Amazing," she says. "I see violets. I see carnations. I see red and pink roses. These are lavenders."

Hinagiku then turns around and sees a cherry blossoms tree. "Wow. This is an amazing tree. This tree is HUGE! I can't wait till spring to see the petals blossom. It will be very beautiful."

The parents looked at Hina with a grin on their faces. They were relieved to see that she has recovered a bit, and is now energetic.

"Hina-chan," called out the father. "Let's go inside for now. Let us show you the inside of the house and to your room."

"Coming!" replied Hinagiku. Hinagiku runs back to her parents and into the house.

…

The day comes to an end with Hinagiku at her parent's house in Nagoya, approximately a 4 to 5 hour drive from Tokyo. What will happen to Hinagiku now? How will she adapt to her new life and with her parents? Come back next chapter, on Hayate no Gotoku FF.

~To be continued~


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Is it Ojou-sama or Ojou sama?

Ch. 6 – Sticks and Stones

Now then, what day is it today? The timeline of this story started on December 3rd when Hinagiku first met her parents in over 10 years. She was given three days by her parents to decide whether she wants move with her parents or stay with her friends. Three days passed. Hinagiku had to make the toughest decision of her life so far, and had chosen to move with her parents. Yes, it has been only 3 days since this story started before Hinagiku settles for the day at the conclusion of chapter 5. Yes, chapter 3 is the only chapter where there was a movement in the days. December 3rd was chapter 1 and chapter 2. December 4th, 5th, and 6th was chapter 3. Chapter 4 and chapter 5 continue on with December 6th, with chapter 5 concluding that day. Yes, this chapter will start a new day of December 7th. Just for plot references not mentioned in earlier chapters, let's call December 3rd as a Monday so we can say that December 7th is a Friday.

"Ojou-sama," says Hayate while shaking and trying to wake up a cradled-up Nagi. "Ojou-sama, wake up. Please wake up. Time to get ready for school"

"Y-you are," says a weak Nagi, "annoying. I-I don't think I can go to school today. I don't feel too well."

Hayate took in the word of what Nagi said. He removed the blanket that was covering her up. Under the blanket he saw a cradled-up Nagi facing away from him. She looks like a fetus in the womb of a mother, he thought. He then rolled Nagi with her sides towards him. Hayate saw that Nagi's face is wet, her hair is wet, and that the bed was wet also. Hayate started to worry that Nagi is indeed sick. Glancing over Nagi, Hayate found a spilled glass next to her pillow on the side opposite of Hayate. It must be water, Hayate thought. He then places his hand on her forehead to see if she was burning or not. Her forehead doesn't feel hot at all, Hayate thought. Hayate did not buy into Nagi's trick and continued to try to get Nagi out of the bed.

"Ojou-sama," says Hayate. "Why did you place a glass of water next to your pillow when you could place it on the lamp table next to your bed so you don't spill the water?"

Nagi was in a state of shock that Hayate was able to see right thru her trick. What should I say, Nagi thought to herself. Nagi did not want to go to school today, and tries what she can to not attend school.

"W-well," replied Nagi while stuttering. "I w-was pretty thirsty last night and I didn't want to wake anyone up."

Hayate could do nothing but stare at Nagi from what she just said.

"Y-yes," continues Nagi. "I was thirsty and didn't want to wake anyone up. I brought water to my bed, but before I knew it, I fell asleep again?"

Hayate continues to stare at Nagi in disbelief. He didn't buy into her story but suggest that she gets up, get dress, and gets ready for breakfast. Hayate informs to Nagi that Maria is downstairs preparing breakfast at the moment that Hayate is trying to wake Nagi up. Hayate then reinforces that Maria would check to see if Nagi is up within 10 minutes and dressed within 15 minutes. If she is not dressed within 15 minutes then Maria will just drag Nagi out the bed and Maria will dress Nagi herself. To threaten Nagi even more, Hayate states that Maria had developed a new killing skill.

"Alright I'll get up. I'll be there in 10 minutes, so hold your horses. Now, GET OUT!" Hayate left the room to allow Nagi to get dressed. Within 10 minutes, Nagi did go downstairs for breakfast. Nagi is greeted "good morning" by Hayate and Maria. And so, the morning went on with Hayate, Nagi, and Maria before the two left for school.

…

Scene changes to Hinagiku and company.

Hinagiku is seen still sleeping on her bed. To her side are Hinagiku's parents.

"Hinagiku must still be worn out," says the father.

"I don't blame her," says the mother. "Yesterday must have too much for her to handle. Honey, let's let her sleep. She must be very tired."

The parents allowed Hinagiku to continue to sleep and walked out of her room. Looking at the face of a sleeping Hinagiku, a shed of tear is seen falling down the face of Hinagiku. A small murmur is heard under the soft voice of the sleeping Hinagiku.

"Hayate-kun."

…

The scene changes to Hayate and Nagi just entering the school campus and walking together to the school building with other students also walking through.

"I can't today is the first day," says Nagi.

"First day of what?" asked Hayate.

"Well, you know. It was just yesterday that Hinagiku left. Today is the first day that Hina won't be with us anymore."

"That is true," says Hayate. "I still can't believe that we won't be able to see her anymore. I miss her a lot already."

Nagi looked at Hayate with a sinister look without saying anything. What the fuu do you mean by that, is what her face look to be saying to Hayate.

"W-what I mean," stuttered Hayate with a small breath of fear within his words. "What I mean by that is that Hinagiku done a lot for us. We have done a lot of things together also. She was with us when we went to the Shimoda onsen where we visited your mother's grave, and she was even with us when we went to Athens. I'm sure even you can't deny that Hinagiku has gotten closer to us."

Nagi retracted her sinister look from Hayate and placed her fingers on her chin as if she was thinking.

"That is true," says Nagi. "As much as I hate to say it, I really felt that we were getting much closer. When I think about it now, it felt like she was like an older sister or mother to me. She was always getting at me for skipping school or being late. Perhaps that's just her duty as student council president. But I feel that even if she wasn't the student council president, or even part of the student council, she would still scold me about going to school and stuff; just like an older sister or a mother would."

Hayate and Nagi continue to walk and converse with each other. What they are talking about could be about Hinagiku, anime, manga, school, food, or whatever they want to talk about. Continuing their walk, Hayate and Nagi heard a female crying. The two is running to the site of the crying and see Hinagiku's trio friends Risa, Miki, and Izumi. Izumi is seen crying with Risa and Miki trying to comfort and settle down Izumi.

"Hey hey," says Risa. "You gotta calm down and stop crying Izumi."

"Yeah," says Miki. "You are also attracting a lot of attention. Look, people are looking at use like crazy."

"But," replied a crying Izumi, "but. Waahhh." Izumi couldn't stop crying and couldn't talk pronouncedly.

While still trying to calm down and comfort Izumi, Hayate and Nagi approaches the trio.

"Umm," says Hayate. "Is something wrong here?"

Risa and Miki turn around to see that Hayate and Nagi are behind them.

"Oh, good morning Hayate," greeted Risa. "Good morning to you too Nagi."

"Good morning Hayate and Nagi," says Miki. "It is rare to see you come to school on Friday, Nagi."

Nagi took offense at what Miki just mentioned but was stopped by Hayate before she could say anything.

"Good morning everyone," replied Hayate. "Why is Izumi crying? Did she get hurt? Is she alright?"

Risa and Miki explain to Hayate and Nagi why Izumi is crying. Izumi is not physically hurt, and is physically fine. The reason why Izumi is crying is because of what happened with Hinagiku. It is to no surprise that the trio is also thinking the same thing as Hayate and Nagi are. The group continues to try to comfort and calm down Izumi. After a few minutes of effort, Izumi finally calms down.

"Sorry about that," cries a calmer Izumi while wiping the tears off her eyes. "I am just so sad that Hinagiku is really gone. But thank you, everyone, for calming me down."

With Izumi finally calm down, the trio went their separate ways, while the Hayate and Nagi duo went their own. Continuing their walk, both Hayate and Nagi are able to see that the clock tower. Hayate tells Nagi about his first experience in the clock tower stems for his first time meeting Hinagiku by saving her. Nagi gives Hayate the usual stare-down, but Hayate explains the situation. The site of the clock tower also got the two thinking about who would replace Hinagiku as the student council president. Would it be Aika? Or could it be Chiharu? Whoever shall become the new student council president shall be replacing Hinagiku. The two and everyone else at the academy continue their day at school.

…

Scene changes to Hinagiku and company.

The time of the day right now is about noon. Hinagiku had finally woken up and had just finished taking a shower.

"Hina-chan!" shouted the mother. "Lunch is ready!"

"Coming!" replied Hinagiku. "I just gotta get dressed first then I will be down there!"

Drying her hair was the first thing Hinagiku did. When her hair was finally dry, Hinagiku placed her wet towel on the towel rack in the restroom. Needing to find something to wear, Hinagiku searched the closet in her room. Hinagiku hadn't searched the closet yet, as she is now curious as to what clothes would be in the closet. There better be some cute clothes that she could wear, Hinagiku thought to herself. Hinagiku opened up the closet and took out a set of clothes that she liked.

"Hmm," Hinagiku said to herself. "What is this?"

At the corner on the floor of the closet, Hinagiku found something strange. She bent down to pick up what it was on the ground. She found what seems to be a book of sort. She was curious to see what contents are in the book so she opened up a few pages and read it.

"WHAT'S THIS?"

Hinagiku's eyes opened wide at what she saw. Hinagiku is speechless.

Just what is it that Hinagiku found? Just what is it that would make Hinagiku surprised that would cause her eyes to open wide and leave her speechless? The answer to that…

…

…

…

Next time on Hayate no Gotoku FF

…

~To be continued~


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Alright, I will be heading into a different direction than what I intended from the beginning. I planned to wrap up the story within another 4 chapters. There were some comments I received saying that I was rushing my chapters a bit. I honestly thought I was dragging it out a bit, but I guess some people felt otherwise. Instead of wrapping up the story in another 4 more chapters, I will be inserting a little arc within the story that may also helps with character and plot development. Think of it as adding a little twist in the story.

When I made the statement about chapter 7 being "juicier" or "more juicy", I might have overstated what I intended to say. I meant "juicier" compared to chapter 5 and chapter 6 as I had intended those 2 chapters to be the slower and more boring chapters. Chapter 7 WAS going to be the chapter that would start up the big part of the story and have the BIGGEST cliffhanger yet. Chapter 8 was to dwell into what chapter 7 would set up. This is all I can tell you at the moment. However, what I intended to write for chapters 7 and 8 will be delayed for a few chapters.

This new addition (or arc) is only planned for 2 chapters or so. I am willing to extend this arc for another chapter or so, but as of this time I do not have much idea. Upon request, I am willing to extend this arc a bit, but it might take me a while to think up ideas. I also plan to introduce a new character. I am not great with Japanese names, so do not crucify me if you do not like the name.

I hate quotations, verb tense, and verb particles. I have taken into consideration that when I make a direct quote to stick with past tense. One thing I do often on my stories is having the characters think or talk to myself. After reading some of the other fanfiction stories, I will be italicizing quotes when someone is thinking or talking to themselves.

As far as cliffhangers go, I just feel that it's the easiest way to make a story interesting. Part of this feeling might be due to shows I watched and manga chapters I read. Honestly, I never knew that most of my chapters end in cliffhangers. Well, I do not think that chapter 7 will end in a cliffhanger. If I go according to my new outline, chapter 8 should not either. What happens after that will be up for grabs. Is it not good to have cliffhangers?

Some probably have noticed, but I have been releasing my chapters on a weekly basis. There is not set schedule for my chapters, and that it is all a coincidence. I just happened to be bored those days.

Ch. 7 – I swear. By the moon and the stars in the sky.

"Hina-chan!" yelled the mother. "Breakfast is almost ready!"

"Coming," replied Hinagiku.

It is now December 8th, and a week since Hinagiku moved in with her parents. What has she been doing since leaving Tokyo, you might ask. Hinagiku could not go to school as she would be entering during the middle of the semester. She would also only be able to attend for just a few weeks as the holidays are approaching and that she would also be leaving soon. Hinagiku does not know her way around town despite being a top student at Hakuo Academy. You would expect that with the technology available today that someone like her would be able to find her way around Nagano. Google and Yahoo are easily available with today's technology, and knowing Hinagiku, using the sites would be no problem for her. All she has done was stay home, browse the internet, eat, sleep, read some stories. She hasn't done much since she arrived.

Hinagiku still hasn't finished dressing. She continues to search for something to wear. It has been 1 week since she arrived. Hinagiku finally realized that she didn't bring much clothes with her that day and that all the clothes she brought are all worn and dirty. She has yet to do any laundry or shopping for new clothes.

"_I'm out of clothes," _thought Hinagiku to herself._ "All of my clothes are dirty and look ragged. I haven't done my laundry yet. Come to think of it, where can I do my laundry? Is there a washer and dryer here or near here that I can use? These sweat pant and sweat shirt isn't too shabby. I guess I wear these until I can get my clothes cleaned, or buy new ones."_

Hinagiku took the sweat pant and sweat shirt she found among the pile of dirty clothes in her closet and proceeded to put it on. Hinagiku was hesitant at first to put on the sweat pant and sweat shirt but thought to herself that she has no choice. These sweat pant and sweat shirt are the cleanest clothes that she had. Now, socks. _"I only wore this pair of sock yesterday," _Hinagiku thought to herself. "_I didn't go anywhere yesterday. I only put them on to help my feet stay warm a bit. It shouldn't be that bad if I wear it again."_ That being said, Hinagiku wore the socks that she left inside her shoes from yesterday, finally finished dressing, and proceeded for breakfast.

"Good morning, mother and father," Hinagiku said when she walked into the dining room as she approached the breakfast table. "Sorry for being late."

Both parents greeted Hinagiku back as the mother was still preparing the meal. The father was reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee. Hinagiku wanted to ask the parents if there was a place where she could do her laundry, but didn't want to bother either parent. The mother was still preparing breakfast, and felt that if she bothered her mother, her mother might burn the food and that would be Hinagiku's breakfast. Hinagiku then turned to the father and saw that he looked pretty occupied. Her father was apparently reading the sports section of the newspaper and his favorite player had been traded to a team that the father hated. Hinagiku decided to just mind her own business, drank the juice that was already prepared on the table, and ate the piece of toast prepared. Within a few minutes of waiting, the mother finished cooking and the food was served to the table.

"Sorry for the wait," said the mother. "I just couldn't find the bacon today. Gosh, it was like it was hiding from me today"

The family proceeded with breakfast.

"Oh, Hina-chan?" asked the mother.

"Yes, mother," replied Hinagiku. "Is something wrong?"

"No, there is nothing wrong. I was just wondering about your clothes."

"My clothes?"

"Yes. You haven't done your laundry or gone shopping since arriving, have you?"

"Umm, no I haven't."

"Well, we do have a washer and dryer here, but the washer is broken at the moment. It won't be fixed until a few more days. Why don't you take this time to buy some new clothes?"

"But, but I only have 12 yen remaining. I can't possibly buy anything with this little amount of money."

"Here, this should be enough for you," said the father. The father then took out his wallet and took out about 20,000 yen and handed it to Hinagiku. "Here is 20,000 yen. Use it all if you need to. Use it all even if you don't need to. Go ahead and just spend it all. Take this time to also explore the city a bit."

Hinagiku was shocked to see that her father was lending her this much money to buy clothes. She was hesitant at first to take it. Money is now not the reason for Hinagiku not to go shopping. Hinagiku felt that if she went shopping alone, she would get lost. Getting lost would hurt her pride a bit.

"But, but," stuttered Hinagiku. "But I don't know my way around town. If you guys come –"

"Sorry Hina-chan," interrupted the mother. "We would love to take you out shopping today. We really do feel sorry. However, both your father and I will be busy today and the next couple of days. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"I-I understand."

"We have confidence in you to not get lost. If you do get lost, there should be some nice people who would be willing to help you," said the father.

"I guess I have no choice then," replied Hinagiku. "Thank you for the meal. I will be leaving soon then."

Hinagiku finished her meal and left the breakfast table. The party each gave their farewells and their respect and went their way.

…

"_I seriously can't believe it,"_ Hinagiku thought to herself._ "I mean I do need some clean clothes but I could just do my laundry. Mother and father could also just dropped me off at a Laundromat, then I could walk home. I didn't bring many clothes with me in the first place, so carrying my clothes home shouldn't be much of a hassle for me. Or I could just ask mom or dad to pick me up when I finish._

"_Seriously, I do not want to get lost. Just what are they thinking about sending out a 16 years old teenage girl alone into a town she has never been too? Don't they know how there are predators preying upon helpless young girls like me everywhere? On top of which I am also carrying around 20,000 yen. Perhaps I should have asked for some pepper spray or mace. Oh well, what's done is done."_

Hinagiku had been walking for about an hour already since she left her home. She hasn't bought anything yet. She hasn't seen any shopping districts or stores where she could buy some clothes that she can wear. She has, however, found some convenient stores but only sells men's clothes. Tired from walking and unable to find a suitable store, Hinagiku decided to talk a break at a park she found and took a rest on a bench. She slouched on the bench and rocked her head back as if she was about to sleep.

"_I've been walking and searching for about an hour already. It is just not my luck. I just can't find any stores that I can shop at for clothes. Huh? What's that yelling?"_

Curious and annoyed at what was going on, Hinagiku recovered the position of her head. She looked to her right and saw a young boy getting chased by a group who looked like thugs. The young boy and the group ran past Hinagiku. The young boy continued to run away from the group of thugs. As he was about to run past an alley, someone grabbed him while running into the alley and covered up his mouth from making any sound. He couldn't talk but only muffled. _Who just grabbed me,_ thought the boy.

"Shhh," a person with a soft and female voice said. "If you say a word, the thugs will be back to get you. Do you want to die right now? Now, just be quiet."

The group of thugs was unaware of where this young boy ran off too. The thugs eventually left the alley in search for the boy. After the thugs left and couldn't be seen within sight, that person finally let go of the boy.

"Thank you very much," said the boy. He then looked up to see who just saved him. He sees a beautiful young girl of pink hair. It was Hinagiku who saved him.

"Don't mention it," replied Hinagiku. "Just who were those thugs that were chasing you? Why were they chasing you?"

"T-They are just thugs picking on small people like me," the boy said.

"So that's it huh? Just bullies picking on smaller people? Well, you seem to be fine now. We should go now, before they return."

The boy agreed that they should leave the site before the thugs return. As the boy attempts to leave, he heard a little grunt, or someone in pain. He turns around to see that it was Hinagiku who was in pain. The boy was worried about what happened, so he approached Hinagiku. Hinagiku initially insisted that she was fine, that the pain was nothing sever for her. Probably just a small cut, she said to the boy. The boy rejects what Hinagiku had to say about her condition. Hinagiku saved him, he thought, so the least he could do was to try to help her out a bit. Hinagiku tried to take a step, but again like last time, she showed signs of pain and falls down. The boy saw how Hinagiku induces pain on herself every time she tries to walk. He completely ignores all of Hinagiku's assurance that she is okay and checked her foot. He discovers that Hinagiku has a small sprain on her right ankle. She must have sprained her ankle trying to chase the boy down and save him, he thought.

"Your ankle," the boy said, "is sprained a little. It is nothing serious, but if you keep walking on it, it will get worse."

"B-But I was supposed to go shopping for clothes," replied Hinagiku.

The boy looked at Hinagiku with a cold stare and said, "You can still go shopping, but I suggest you don't overexert your ankle for the day. It should get better by tomorrow. I actually think your ankle should fully heal if you take it lightly for today. Just some wraps and rest should be enough for you."

Hinagiku returned a cold stare back at him.

"_Oh, no." _thought the boy. _"It's actually because of me that she got hurt. She didn't have to chase after me. She didn't have to save my life. She must have gotten hurt from while running around to run to that alley. It is my fault that she is hurt. I must do something."_

The boy looked back at Hinagiku with a stern look. Hinagiku retracted her stare and blushed a bit.

"W-what are you looking at?" asked Hinagiku with a blushed reaction.

"I apologized that you got hurt," replied the boy. "It is my fault, and you saved me. You got hurt in the process. Allow me to help you out with your shopping. I have no plans for today after all. I'll even walk into those feminine stores to help you. This is what I can do to return the favor for saving my life and apology for hurting you."

"T-That's okay," said Hinagiku. "You don't have to."

Hinagiku let out a big yell before she could finish her sentence. The boy picked up and carried Hinagiku on his back and went on his way.

"W-What are you doing?" yelled Hinagiku.

"Helping you with shopping," replied the boy.

Hinagiku resisted. The more she resisted the more pain she received from her ankle.

"You shouldn't resist," said the boy. "I'm actually quite strong despite my size and getting chased by those thugs. I will not let you go even if I have to die."

Hinagiku finally submitted and stopped resisting. The pain was just too much for her to fight, and also having to fight to force the boy to release her. Hinagiku calmed down.

"By the way," said the boy. "My name is Okazaki Kyousuke*. You can just call me Kyousuke, or Kyou-chan like my friends do. What's yours?"

"My name?" asked Hinagiku. "My name is Hinagiku. Katsura Hinagiku."

…

…

~To be continued~

*I didn't really know what name to use for this new character. I derived the names from male leads that I think are not wusses. The name Kyousuke (Kousaka Kyousuke) is derived from Ore no Imouto. The name Okazaki (Okazaki Tomoya) derived from Clannad.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

I have finally been able to get my butt to release a new chapter after how many weeks. I was just lazy and was procrastinating a lot to type. Anyways, enjoy.

To follow up on what happened in the previous chapter, Hinagiku was out of clean clothes. Her parents gave her 20,000 yen (or a little less than $200 for reference). On her way to buy some new clothes, Hinagiku got involved in a particular incident, and ended up injuring her ankle, but meeting up with a boy named Ookazaki Kyousuke (Kyousuke Ookazaki if used in English terms)

Ch. 8 – So sue me.

"So," Said Kyousuke, "your name is Katsura Hinagiku huh? That is such a beautiful name."

Hinagiku quickly reacted to Kyousuke's comment. Her face quickly turned red, she placed her face on Kyousuke's back as he is still carrying her around, and didn't know what to say. It's not every day that she gets commented or complimented by a boy. Unable to properly portray the compliment she received, Hinagiku answered with an "I guess".

Kyousuke continued to carry the injured Hinagiku on his back for about another 30 minutes. Hinagiku noticed that either the back of Kyousuke was wet, or the chest portion of her was wet. Is she sweating too much, she thought to herself. But then again, only her chest portion was wet, so there is no way she could be sweating. Her back, etc were all dry. Hinagiku started to worry a bit about Kyousuke as not only would he might be sweating, but because he was walking slower than he did earlier. Hinagiku raised her tired head off his back and looked over Kyousuke's left shoulder to see his face. She was right. She could see a worn out boy carrying a girl with a sprained ankle on her back.

"Kyousuke-kun?" asked Hinagiku.

"Yes?" replied Kyousuke.

"Thank you for your help. But do you think we should take a break?"

"A break?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Well, you look a little worn out. I think you should take a breather a bit. I'm also a bit stiff from you carrying me. Stretching out a bit would also be nice. And I could also go for a drink. What do you say?"

"I think I can keep going, but if you insist, I guess I could take a little break. But a drink does sound nice. Let me keep carrying you until we find like a café or something where we can rest and get a drink."

"Sure."

Kyousuke continued to carry Hinagiku around in search for a cafe, but only for about 5 minutes, as they found a nice small café that had no line. Kyousuke placed Hinagiku down on the nearest chair with a table inside the café.

"You stay here," said Kyousuke. "I'll go order for you, and you rest your ankle here, okay? What would you like? I'll treat you."

"You don't need to," said Hinagiku. "I can pay for my own drink."

"Don't worry about it. A guy like me can't possibly let a pretty lady such as you pay. If you don't let me pay for you, then I can just leave you here by yourself."

Hinagiku reluctantly accepted his offer, as she could still feel a bit of pain coming from her ankle.

"Well then," replied Hinagiku, "I guess I'll just have some hot chocolate."

"Gotcha."

"Excuse me?" said Kyousuke to get a cashier to take their order. "Can I get 2 hot chocolate please?"

The cashier took the order, and Kyousuke paid for the drinks. It didn't take long for the drinks to be served. Kyousuke received the two hot chocolate drinks from the counter and brought the drinks to the table that Hinagiku was sitting at.

"Here is your drink, Katsura-san," said Kyousuke.

"Thank you for the drink," replied Hinagiku. "But you don't need to call me by my surname. You can go ahead and call me by my first name. Would it be okay if I call you Kyousuke-kun?"

"Okay, Hinagiku-san, you can call me Kyousuke-kun if you want."

The hot drinks had yet to be drunk as both Hinagiku and Kyousuke were waiting for the drinks to cool down a bit. Not much had been said after each person introduced their names to each other. A short awkward of silence of about 2 minutes erupted. Neither Hinagiku nor Kyousuke were talking to each other. This is when Hinagiku finally realized that Kyousuke is a boy, and that she is having a drink with him. She thought to herself that this turn of event is sort of like a date to her. She let out a slight blush at the thought of it, and tilted her head down as if it looked like she was praying. Kyousuke saw that Hinagiku lowered her head down and was wondering what was going on.

"Hinagiku-san," asked Kyousuke, "is something the matter?"

"N-No," replied Hinagiku as she raised her head up to face Kyousuke, "There is nothing wrong."

"_This scene is a bit similar to another scene I encountered a while back," _she thought to herself_. "This feeling also is familiar. What is this? Hmm. That's right; this feels just like what happened on my birthday. I remember it now. This is just like the time I met up with Hayate-kun in the student council's room that day. I showed him a side of him that I can never forget. I was not calm that day and lost my composure. After our 'battle' on that day, I was not feeling myself as I felt much weaker. I sat down on the couch as Hayate-kun made and brought hot tea for me. I was weak and I was hurt that day, and it was him who helped me out. Hayate-kun…"_

Kyousuke looked at Kyousuke and saw that Hinagiku was deep in her thoughts again, but this time Hinagiku didn't lower her head to hide her embarrassment; only looked at her cup of hot chocolate with both her hands holding the cup. Instead, Kyousuke saw a depressed look on Hinagiku's face which looked like a puppy begging for his owner to feed him. This time, Kyousuke didn't question Hinagiku about what was wrong. He continued to look at Hinagiku with a concerned face. Since there haven't been much of a conversation going on, also with the situation with Hinagiku, Kyousuke didn't know what to say to try to remedy the mood. It took a minute before anyone broke the silence.

"Achoo," sneezed Hinagiku.

Hinagiku finally took her head off her cup of hot chocolate, raised her head, and saw that Kyousuke was laughing. Hinagiku felt a little offended with Kyousuke laughing as she thought he was laughing at her. Her face transitioned from a depressed look to an irritable look.

"Ahh, sorry about that," said Kyousuke. "If it seemed like I was laughing at you, I apologize as I was not. It's just that…You know…It kind of took me by surprised. Or shock you can say it. You know…Like how you are walking down the street then a person hiding behind a pole jumps out and scares you when you least expected. I didn't anticipate a sneeze coming."

The small rage from Hinagiku subdued a bit, and the irritable look that was on her face had disappeared into a smile. The change on her face was like how the night sky transition during sunrise as the sun transcends up from the horizon. Hinagiku decided to let his laughter slide and began to try to converse.

"So, Kyousuke-kun," asked Hinagiku, "how old might you be?"

"Me?" replied Kyousuke. "I just turned 17 years old on November 11th. I didn't do anything though, as I was busy and felt like I was getting old. What about you, Hinagiku-san?"

"I will be turning 17 in March," replied Hinagiku.

"_November 11__th__?"_ Hinagiku asked herself. "_Isn't that also the same day as Hayate's birthday?"_

"Hinagiku-san?" asked Kyousuke. "You don't look like you are from here. When I first saw you in the park today, I thought that you looked a bit lost. Where might you be from?"

Hinagiku jumped into a feeling of shock to find out that Kyousuke was able to deduce that she was lost.

"I am from Tokyo," she replied.

"Tokyo, huh," said Kyousuke. "It must be nice to be living there. I have always wanted to live there when I grow up or something. I have been there a few times, however, but only for a while. About a year ago, when I first went to Shinjuku there, I was alone and got lost myself. I didn't know what to do, and almost cried my butt off. But there was a nice young lady there to help me out. I can't really remember who this nice young lady was, but she told me that she was a student and about our age. Gahh I can't remember much."

Their conversation continued. As their drinks finally cooled down to each desired temperature, each person consumed their drinks. As the drinks were consumed, the two decided to make their way to the exit and continued with Hinagiku's shopping. Still with some disagreement, the two agreed that Kyousuke would still carry Hinagiku around until they enter a clothing store.

Kyousuke is a boy, and he didn't know which stores he should go. He knew a place that had a selection of clothing stores for females. He informed Hinagiku about his inexperience with female clothing, and suggested that he will take her to the place he knew. Hinagiku didn't object to it, but did question if this place in question suits her taste. It was only 10 minutes later after one right turn that Kyousuke arrived to his destination.

Hinagiku looked up, to the side, and behind, and was just amazed at the selections of stores. She saw a lingerie store, a pajama store, a cosplay store, a dress store, and many other stores that catered 17 years old females. Hinagiku looked across the street and just happily stuttered at what she saw. Kyousuke responded to Hinagiku's reaction and asked if she want to check that store out. He eventually carried her across the street to the store and placed Hinagiku down so she can do some shopping.

The pain on Hinagiku's ankle at that moment subdued a bit because she didn't have to walk much since spraining it. Thanks to Kyousuke's effort and the trip to the café, Hinagiku was able to walk a bit without too much trouble. She explored the store but did not purchase anything as the asking prices for almost every item were more than what she can afford. Kyousuke offered to help pay for some of an item, but Hinagiku handedly refuse as she explain that she do not want to borrow money, especially if there is a chance that the two will never meet again.

The two proceeded in search for other stores for Hinagiku's shopping. Kyousuke continued to carry her on his back until she enters a store of her choice. Hinagiku continued to point out stores which interested her and Kyousuke would bring her there.

The two continued together their shopping. It is now 3pm and already looked like it was getting darker. Kyousuke and Hinagiku looked up into the cloudy skies. Hinagiku placed her hand out and a tiny droplet of water formed.

"Snow," said Hinagiku.

"So it is finally snowing huh?" said Kyousuke. "It seems to be getting a bit dark also. Shall we call it a day?"

"I think so too," replied Hinagiku.

Kyousuke then asked where Hinagiku lived a so he could carry her back home. Hinagiku did not know the exact address of her home, but assisted him in the directions. She may have gotten lost trying to find a clothing store earlier, but she could remember her way home. The two arrived to a corner that was about a 5-minute walk from Hinagiku's house where Hinagiku requested that she was able to walk home from this distance. Kyousuke humbly allowed Hinagiku to get on her feet to proceed home. In the end, Hinagiku only bought some sweats, a jacket, and a pair of shoe, socks, some undergarment, some bra, shampoo, a warming glove, and some other clothing. Before Hinagiku proceeded to walk home Kyousuke informed Hinagiku that he just remember something that he forgot to tell her earlier.

"I just remember something," told Kyousuke.

"Hmm? What is it?" asked Hinagiku.

"That time when I went to Tokyo," informed Kyousuke. "That time when I went to Shinjuku alone, and how I got lost, and how this young lady helped me find my way. I still don't remember her name or recall how she looked like. But I remember some things she told me about her. She told me that she was the student council president of a school called _Hakuō Academy_."

~To be continued~


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hayate no Gotoku Fanfiction**_

Okay, this chapter is about 3 times longer than my typical chapters. I wanted to finish this arc as soon as I can so I can move onto the next arc but I wanted to build up a bit on the character development. I did plan to wrap it up within 1 chapter of my usual pace but I felt like it would be a bit rushed with less development. I also considered continuing this arc for another 2 or 3 chapter of my usual pace but didn't want to drag it out anymore. Instead, I made one longer chapter to try to conclude this arc so I can move to the next one.

I think some people would also see that I used some references from other anime or manga in this chapter. I just remembered that there were a lot of references in the original story, so I thought to myself, why not?

_**Chapter Timeline**_:

Ch1: December 3rd – Monday.

Ch2: December 3rd – Monday.

Ch3: December 4th, 5th, 6th – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Ch4: December 6th – Thursday.

Ch5: December 6th – Thursday.

Ch6: December 7th – Friday.

Ch7: December 15th – Saturday.

Ch8: December 15th – Saturday.

Ch.9 – All or Nothing

The day was bright and sunny contrary to how it was snowing yesterday. Although there wasn't much snow that fell yesterday, it was still cold and caused some minimal traffic problems. It is December 16th, with 9 days till Christmas and 8 days till Christmas Eve. Normally you would expect snow to be falling around today with people bustling through the shopping districts doing some last minute shopping. Today was a little different. The expected high for today was 16 degrees Celsius (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit) in Nagano with 90% chance of sunshine. Whether you are in Nagano or Tokyo, you would see sunshine 90% of the day with temperatures above average.

/Scenes with Hayate, Nagi, and Maria

"G-g-good morning," said Nagi.

"Good afternoon, Ojou-sama," relied Hayate.

That's right, it was not morning anymore, but instead it was around 11am. Nagi had only just awoken from bed. Why did she wake up early today? She was up all night playing this new video game that she borrowed from Chiharu. Actually, it was not like she borrowed the game, but more like Chiharu gave Nagi the game after Nagi heard she has the game. Chiharu had already played and beaten that game 3 times so she didn't need it anymore. She gave that game to Nagi and insisted that this game would be an early Christmas present for her. Nagi agreed and accepted the game as her Christmas present without hesitation.

"What happened, Ojou-sama?" Hayate asked as he could see the baggy eyes on Nagi despite how late it was. Nagi didn't speak. To find an answer, Hayate turned his head to Maria and asked her.

"Ojou-sama was up all night playing this new game she got from Chiharu," Maria answered, "and was still awake when I got up to do my maid-work."

Maria? Well she had to endure it. It wasn't like this was the first time that Nagi was up all night playing game. This was also not the first time that Nagi was up still playing game by the time Maria gets up to do her maid chores. Hayate looked at Maria with a shocked face that could be read as him saying _"Oh, my goodness. Maria must have some new technique that allowed her to sleep through Ojou-sama's otaku behavior at night."_

Maria turned her head and saw that shocked look of Hayate's face.

"Ara, ara," Maria said with fingers on her right hand softly touching her lips. "What's with that face of yours? You look like you thought I must have developed a new special technique that allowed me to sleep thru Ojou-sama's otaku behavior at night."

Hayate did nothing, but froze in the moment as Maria spoke out exactly what he was thinking. To escape the moment, Hayate declared that he must go shopping for tonight's dinner before it is too late. Hayate quickly rushed out the door. Maria's eyes opened up, and in her mind she was confused as to why Hayate just ran off.

…

/Scenes with Ayumu

It was a nice and sunny afternoon, but why was Ayumu looking so depressed with her shoulder drooping down?

"Moouu…" cried Ayumu. " Such misfortune. Why did this have to happen to me today? When I woke up, it was already 10am. Even though it is a Sunday and no school today, I wanted to try to wake up a bit earlier for whatever reason. But when I came to, no one was home; neither my parents nor my brother. On top of which, our electricity went out last night when I was asleep. When I went to get something to eat in the fridge, all the food was spoiled and nothing looked edible. The only thing that looked like it didn't spoil was mom's jam. It was still shining brightly like a gold ring. It may not be spoiled, but it was not edible for a normal human being. It had a weird flavor that wasn't of this Earth. I had this one pudding I was saving to eat just for today, but my damn brother took it while I was still eating. I am so hungry, and I only have enough money to buy a bowl of ramen."

Ayumu continued on her complaining for a few minutes, but paused for a minute after complaining. She let out a loud yell.

"SUCH MISFORTUNE!"

"What would you do if your mom heard you say that, Nishizawa-san?"

Ayumu heard a voice behind her saying that. She was in a state of shock as if she was rubbing her shows on a carpet then touching a metal pole. She turned around, and what did she see?

"Ahhh," Ayumu said. "Hayate-kun. Good afternoon. What are you doing here?"

"Good afternoon, Nishizawa-san. I'm just here to buy some groceries. But I couldn't help but overhear what you were mumbling about."

"Just how much did you hear, Hayate-kun?"

"Just about everything. Your voice wasn't that loud. I wasn't sure if I heard right, but after you yelled out 'SUCH MISFORTUNE' I knew that what I heard was right. It is a butler's duty to be able to hear what is going on, no matter how silent the sound is or how off-guard he is."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Anyways, what are you doing here alone, Nishizawa-san?"

"I'm hungry. I had been looking for a ramen shop all day, but they were all either closed or sold out."

"So it seems. Then, how about you keep me company with my shopping, and I'll make you something to eat back at the apartment."

Ayumu's face began to turn flushed pink that looked like she painted her face with some Pepto-Bismol medicine. She stammered greatly and couldn't let out a proper answer.

"B-b-but…w-w-with…I c-can't…your a…p-part-t-tm-ment…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Ojou-sama and Maria-san shouldn't mind. I also can't remember if you visited our apartment before or not. Even if you have, you probably didn't come inside. Plus it is still afternoon. You still have time to do what you need to do for today."

"I-I guess I'll take you up on your offer. And yea, I have visited your apartment a few times a few months ago but never entered inside."

With this, Ayumu tagged along with Hayate to help with his shopping.

…

…

/Scene with Hinagiku and company in Nagano

"Hina-chan!" yelled Hinagiku's mother. "Lunch is ready!"

"Hai!" responded Hinagiku. "I'm coming!"

Since she left to live with her parents, Hinagiku hadn't been attending any sort of schooling. Needless to say, today's also Sunday; and a day where students like to relax. But why did she look like she was doing homework or studying? Whatever the reason may be, she placed her book down and went downstairs for lunch.

"Good afternoon," said Hinagiku. "Oh, where did dad go?"

"Good afternoon, Hina-chan," said the mother. "You father will be back soon. So don't worry and eat up."

"Okay."

Today's lunch was sweet curry over rice. As the food was about to be served, the father walked in and sat at his chair. Proper greetings were exchanged between the family members.

"Ara ara," the mother said while everyone was still eating. "Look at Hina-chan, dear. She is all dressed up all nice today. Got a date today?"

Hinagiku was still eating as her mother said that. Just right before she could swallow the food she was chewing, the mother's word caused Hinagiku to choke. The father saw how she was struggling and passed a glass of water to her.

"W-what are you talking about?" asked Hinagiku. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Look at Hinagiku, dear," said the mother. "She is stuttering in embarrassment. So it must be true."

"Now, now," said the father. "Hina-chan is already 16. Of course it would be normal for a girl her age to be dating at this time. But who is this lucky boy, Hina-chan?"

"I guess you are right, dear," said the mother. "Not to mention that our Hina-chan is also super cute unlike her older sister, Yukiji-chan."

…

/Scene with Yukiji and Kaoru-sensei

_Achoo._ Yukiji lets out a sneeze.

"A cold?" asked Kaoru-sensei.

"Maybe," replied Yukiji.

…

/Scene back with Hinagiku and family

"Our Hina-chan can get _ANYYY_ boy she wanted with her looks," the mother continued.

Hinagiku heard what her mother just said now and started to get deep into her thoughts. In her mind, she was thinking that it wasn't true. She doesn't have a boyfriend right. She had been confessed to be many other girls but never a guy. She hadn't really fallen for any guys besides one individual. However, she had never been able to confess to him and will probably never get the chance to anymore. She's not sure how Hayate even felt about her. What do Hayate think about her? Does Hayate not see her as a woman? Can she win his heart? Can she win any boy's heart?

"That's not true," Hinagiku said in a low and sad voice with her head faced down.

The father turned to look at Hinagiku. He could see that Hinagiku had a sad expression on her face but was trying to hide it. The father turned back to face the mother to tell her that it was enough. The mother nodded her head and decided to drop the conversation. Neither the mother nor the father knew what was going on. Hinagiku lifted her head back up with a smile on her face. Her facial expression seemed to indicate that this conversation never happened as the smile on her face was reflecting the sun's light. It was obvious that Hinagiku was trying to hide the pain that was in her heart. Neither parent chose to dwell into the conversation in hope that the light of her smile would vanish.

Everyone had just finished their lunch. Hinagiku grabbed a glass of water to wash down the food that she just ate. The mother insisted for the two to just leave their plates on the table and that she would clean the table and plates herself. Both the father and Hinagiku gave their proper _Itadakimasu_ after their meal before leaving the table. Hinagiku went back upstairs to her room to finish getting dress.

…

…

/Scene change to Hayate and company

"I'm back," said Hayate.

"Welcome back Hayate," replied Maria. "Ojou-sama went over to Isumi's place for today. Oh, good afternoon, Nishizawa-san. I didn't know you were coming here."

"Good afternoon, Maria-san" responded Ayumu. "Sorry for the intrusion. Hayate met me in town while he was doing some shopping. He asked if I could help him with his shopping and insisted that I come over for lunch."

"Is that so?" asked Maria. "Well, whatever the case is, welcome Nishizawa-san.

"Thank you very much."

That's right. Hayate had just finished his grocery shopping for the day after bumping into Ayumu in the city. The two had returned back to the apartment to discover that Nagi was out at Isumi's place, probably discussing manga and games again. Chiharu didn't seem to be home either. It looked like no one but only Hayate, Maria, and Ayumu at the apartment at this time.

The two removed their shoe and properly laid them right outside the door to the side. The two entered the apart that was already occupied with Maria inside with her maid outfit on. Hayate escorted Ayumu to the dining room where she would be sitting at while having lunch. Ayumu couldn't help but scope out the place out as she was getting escorted. Her mouth was open in awe from what she saw. She liked the place. It's obvious that she liked the place. Maria, who was walking on the left side of Ayumu, moved her eyes to look at Ayumu. She also could see the glee that was emitted from Ayumu's face, and let out a smile of her own.

The three arrived at the dining room where lunch was about to be served. Maria wanted to help out with the cooking, but Hayate insisted that she sit down with Ayumu while he prepares lunch. Maria let out a sigh of disappointment but submitted to Hayate's offer and sat down next to Ayumu. Today's lunch happened to be spaghetti with meat sauce.

"Is this your first time here, Nishizawa-san?" asked Maria.

"It's not my first time here, but my first time inside," replied Ayumu.

"What do you think about this place?"

"I think it is awesome. When I stepped inside, I felt like I was at a museum. I mean, really, this place is just awesome. Coming in here reminded me of the time when Hina-chan and I went to the aquarium together back around spring. I forgot why we decided to go there together, but the aquarium was just really awesome. I saw a lot of fishes I've never seen before. I think we went there for a class project or report, but before we knew it, we both were engrossed with the surrounding that we forgot our main objective."

"Ahh. You exaggerate this place a bit too much. But thank you for thinking highly of this place. Nishizawa-san? Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing really. I just remembered that it has been 10 days already since Hina-chan left."

Slow tears could be seen coming down the eyes of Ayumu. Maria could see the tears and tried to comfort her.

"There, there, Nishizawa-san," said Maria trying to comfort her. "Hinagiku-san will be back soon. Before you know it, she will be back before Christmas Eve and back with her friends here in Tokyo."

Tears continued to fall down the eyes of Ayumu. Hayate had finished cooking lunch and was bringing the food to the table. He looked at Ayumu and saw what was happening.

"Maria-san!" said Hayate. "Why did you make Nishizawa-san cry?"

"I didn't do anything!" responded Maria as she tried to defend her actions.

…

…

/Scene change to Hinagiku and company

Hinagiku had finished lunch and getting dressed, and went downstairs getting ready to leave.

"I'm off now," Hinagiku said to her parents as she left the house.

"Have a safe trip," the parents replied back to her response.

It was 1pm as Hinagiku left the house. She was supposed to meet up at the park that she was at yesterday at 1:30pm with a friend. She got to the park at 1:20pm; 10 minutes early to the meeting time.

"Good, I'm early," Hinagiku said to herself. "Hmm? What's this?"

Hinagiku looked ahead at the bench that she was sitting at yesterday and saw a familiar person sitting on that bench. It was her friend that she was to meet. If Hinagiku is early, then her friend arrived even earlier than she did. Hinagiku felt a sense of defeat that she was not the first one here. Hinagiku called out to her friend.

"Oyy! Kyousuke-kun! Good afternoon!"

Kyousuke turned his head to face where the voice he heard calling him was coming from. There, he saw Hinagiku waving her right hand in the air with her left hand to the side of her soft lips as to amplify her voice.

Kyousuke got up from his seat on the bench and walked towards Hinagiku. While walking to Hinagiku he returned her greeting with his own. When he got to Hinagiku, he gave her the greeting again of "good afternoon".

Before he could say anything to her after his greetings, Kyousuke took a good look at Hinagiku and at what she was wearing. Hinagiku was wearing some of the clothing that she bought yesterday with him. Though the clothes she bought and wore were nothing really special; somehow or another, the clothes brought out a good side of Hinagiku, he thought. Or perhaps it was the other way around: Hinagiku brought out the best of the non-special clothing that she was wearing. Her hair looked as light as a cotton ball but vibrant as a fully blossomed sakura tree (cherry blossom tree) where a spring shower had passed through.

It wasn't just the looks of Hinagiku's that was drawing the attention of Kyousuke's optic senses and nerves. This smell, this fragrance that was emitted from her was attracting Kyousuke's olfactory senses and nerves as a honeybee would to a nectar-full flower. The smell was strong yet not over-powering. Her hair smelled like she had washed it 3 times since yesterday just for this meet-up today. She was not wearing any perfume yet smelled of roses.

Hinagiku noticed that Kyousuke had been a bit too quiet for a minute since he approached her. She didn't know why, but thought that this silence might be a bad thing. Hinagiku didn't think that she did anything special, and didn't know what Kyousuke was thinking. Hinagiku failed to understand what guys think, in particular this male in front of her. She was starting to get a bit worried that she is scaring off Kyousuke, so she decided to break the silence.

"Is something wrong, Kyousuke-kun?" asked Hinagiku. "You have been standing there quiet for a few minutes and I was getting worried that I might be scaring you off."

Kyousuke shook his head to snap back into reality. He heard what Hinagiku said and replied on his own.

"Oh, no nothing's wrong. You look amazing, Hinagiku-san."

Hinagiku heard what he said and started to feel a bit embarrassed. She placed her right palm on top of around her chest area with her left palm softly on top of the back of her right hand. She tilted her head down to the right away from Kyousuke so he couldn't see her face. Hinagiku blushed heavily, though Kyousuke could not see.

"T-that's not true," Hinagiku replied still with her head down and away from Kyousuke and her hands softly on her chest. "I don't think that I am doing anything special."

"Even if you think you aren't doing anything special, I still say you look terrific. If this is how you are normally, then I can't wait to see just how beautiful you would be if you did something special."

Hinagiku quickly raised her head up and faced Kyousuke. Her hands were still on her chest but her eyes and mouth just opened up in awe. She could see Kyousuke's face turn red at the moment. To hide his embarrassment, it's his turn to tilt his head away so she doesn't see him. He tilted his head up to the right with his right hand slightly scratching the back of his head.

In a moment of standstill, both parties agreed that it was time to move on. But where were they headed to? Hinagiku still didn't know her way around town, so Kyousuke suggested getting a drink at the café they were at yesterday. Hinagiku agreed.

The parties started to walk to the café. Kyousuke took a look at Hinagiku and noticed something different about her aside from the way she dressed or smell.

"Hinagiku-san?" Kyousuke asked.

"Yes?" Hinagiku replied.

"How is your ankle feeling? Still got pains? You seem to be walking normal today, and I almost forgot you sprained your ankle yesterday."

"Ahhh. You know what? I forgot all about spraining my ankle yesterday. I don't feel any pain or tightness of sort. I feel like what happened to my ankle yesterday never happened. I feel like I can run 10km right now."

They finally arrived at the café where they sat down. Like yesterday, Kyousuke insisted to go order at the register while Hinagiku sat down.

"What would you like to drink?" Kyousuke asked Hinagiku.

"Let me see. I think I'll just have a chocolate milkshake. Thank you."

"No problem. I'll be right back."

Kyousuke went up to the cashier and placed the orders for their drinks. Unlike yesterday, Kyousuke didn't have to pick up the drinks from the counter. Today, they have enough staff members to bring the drinks to the customers. Kyousuke heeded the words and returned to his seat.

There shouldn't be too much of a wait to receive their drinks. There's a decent amount of people in the café but not enough to form a line. The café had enough employees to serve the drinks directly to the customers at their table this time. Making milkshake does take a bit longer to make than hot chocolate. For hot chocolate, all you need is powdered chocolate that anyone can buy from a convenience store, added to hot or boiling water, and stir well. For all we know, this café probably doesn't do anything fancy for their hot chocolate and use conventional method as this power chocolate plus water method. Chocolate milkshake is a little bit more complicated as it requires the use of either chocolate ice cream or chocolate candy bar blending it with milk and other additives. Both Hinagiku and Kyousuke did not expect their drinks to arrive quickly as their hot chocolate drink did yesterday.

"So, what did you get?" asked Hinagiku.

"I didn't know what to get so I decided to get the same as you and went for the chocolate shake."

"I see. Well I was just thinking about yesterday a bit. We didn't get to talk much did we?

"No, I don't think so," replied Kyousuke.

"Hmmm," thought Hinagiku. "Well I guess I should start the questioning."

"Questioning?" asked Kyousuke. "Are you like trying to interrogate me like I'm some sort of criminal? Or are you like trying to get some valuable information about of me and take advantage of the information I may or may not give you like some spy?"

"Hahahaha." Hinagiku let out a big laugh. "Haha, that's not it. I just want to get to know you a bit, that's all. I think I feel a bit more comfortable being around you. Don't worry; I'll let you ask me questions afterwards."

"I was just messing with you," said Kyousuke. "I think I can trust you to not turn me over to the police or kill me or steal any of my valuable information. Many cute girls such as yourself would try to take advantage of nice guys, but you seem somehow different and trustworthy."

As the parties' conversation continued, their drinks were brought to the table. Kyousuke did get the same drink as Hinagiku.

"Here are your drinks, ma'am and sir," said the café employee who brought the drinks. "You two look like a lovely couple."

"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!" Hinagiku blurted out in embarrassment. "We are friends. Yes, we are just friends!"

Kyousuke let out a small chuckle as the employee made a face that could only be read as _"my mistake"_. The employee replied to correct her mistake, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to. If I offend any of you, then I deeply apologize." The employee lowered her head as to show her apologies.

Hinagiku saw the employee lowering her head, and jumped out off her seat out of guilt. "No, no. It just surprised me is all. Don't worry about it. Heh…"

The employee lifted her head back up, apologized again, and proceeded to work. As the employee left, Hinagiku and Kyousuke proceeded back to their conversation.

"Kyousuke-kun, what are some of your hobbies?"

"My hobbies? Well I like music and is trying to play an instrument. It was about almost two years ago I started to get an interest in it. There was this anime two years ago about these five high-schoolers who started up their own music club and band. They would perform in school festivals and stuff, and would usually do well. Their club adviser was a great side character, and was a former member of that club when she was a student there during her high school years. Based on my favorite character, I also got myself a Fender Mustang electric guitar. I've been practicing since then."

"Sounds nice," Hinagiku said. "Will you ever let me hear you play it sometimes?"

"Haha." Kyousuke replied with a laugh. "Maybe sometimes when I get better, this might be never. I am horrible in it, but I still have fun."

The two let out a big laugh.

…

…

/Scene with Hayate and company

"Thank you for the meal," exclaimed Hayate, Maria, and Ayumu as they finished their lunch.

Hayate insisted that everyone should leave their plates on the table and that he would clean it all himself. He also insisted that both Maria and Ayumu have a breather outside while he cleans the table and plates. Maria and Ayumu accepted the offer and sat down outside.

"Wow," Ayumu said to Maria. "Hayate is really a good cook. At first when I heard Hayate making spaghetti, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting something a bit more fancy or exclusive. But never mind what I was thinking earlier. This spaghetti's just delicious. I felt like I was going to do some weird reaction like how Kuroyanagi Ryou or Bolnese Pierrot did when they tasted delicious bread. I just can't describe just how good this spaghetti is without doing a weird reaction."

"Yes," replied Maria. "Even I am fascinated with Hayate's. Even though we had been living under the same roof for about a year, with me being a maid and him being the butler, he's never ceased to amaze me with his cooking. I was a bit prepared today though. Hayate must have something special like Azuma Kazuma has his solar hands or Kawachi Kyousuke with his solar gauntlets."

Hayate had just finished clearing the table and cleaning the plates. He hung his apron up and walked outside and met up with Maria and Ayumu.

"Ahh," Hayate let out a short sigh. "I'm done."

"Welcome, Hayate," said Maria. "You should have let me helped with the cleaning also."

"It's fine," replied Hayate. "There wasn't really much to clean at all. I was just a bit preoccupied with Shiranui and this big pest who looked like he was starving."

…

/Scene with Shiranui and Tama.

"That debt-ridden butler," said Tama. "How long was he going to hold out on feeding us? He's trying to kill us, _KILL US_! Right Shiranui?"

_*Meow*_

…

/Scene back to Hayate and company

Hayate turned his head to look at Ayumu and asked, "How is it back at your home, Nishizawa-san? Did you family return yet? Did the power return to your home? You should try giving a call."

Ayumu gave a small glare at Hayate as he was able to overhear her conversation with herself earlier on. Guess Hayate-kun wasn't kidding when he was boasting about his hearings. Nonetheless, Ayumu took her phone out of her pocket and called home. The phone was ringing; good, that means the electricity was back on. After 3 rings, someone picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello?" A young male's voiced was heard on the other line.

"Kazuki? This is Kazuki right?" asked Ayumu.

"Huh? Onee-chan?"

"Yes, it's me. So someone is home."

"Yeah, but where are you right now?"

"I'm at Hayate-kun and Maria-san's place right now. Why did you guys leave me? Why didn't you wake me up and take me with you?"

"What are you talking about, Onee-chan? We tried waking you up at 9:00am but you just wouldn't wake up. You kept talking in your sleep about being happy doing nothing but eating cookies and chocolate!"

Ayumu froze for a minute out of shame. She definitely recalled having a dream where she was happily eating nothing but cookies and chocolate.

"The electricity was off," Kazuki continued, "and all the food in the fridge spoiled. I saw some pudding in the fridge that was still good. I asked mom and dad whose pudding it belonged to, but neither knew whose–"

"YOU ATE MY PUDDING!" interrupted Ayumu. "Why did you eat my stuff? I was saving it just for today!"

"Well," continued Kazuki, "you were still asleep and wouldn't wake up so we didn't know whose pudding it belonged to. Dad thought he might have bought it a while ago but couldn't remember but said I could have it."

"You LITTLE!"

"After we failed many attempts to try to wake you up, we decided to go out to eat at a restaurant together. We didn't get home until like at noon but the power was back on by then."

Such misfortune for Ayumu indeed. There was a power outage at her place. Her family tried to wake her up at 9:00am, but she wouldn't wake up. Kazuki found some pudding in the fridge but no one knew whose it was. It belonged to the family member who wouldn't wake up. Unable to wake Ayumu up after many attempts, the family left to eat at a restaurant shortly after. Ayumu finally woke up at 10am, but the family had already left. She finally discovered that there was a power outage, all the food had spoiled, her pudding was gone, and her family left her. 11am was when he met up with Hayate and helped him with his shopping. 12pm was about the time when the family returned home with the power already returned, while Ayumu was with Hayate. 1-2pm Ayumu had lunch with Hayate and Maria at their apartment. 2pm Ayumu learned of her misfortune.

Ayumu finally understood what happened today, and hung up the phone.

"Since my family is back," said Ayumu, "I guess I better be going back home. Thank you for the meal. Bye Hayate-kun! Bye Maria-san!" Ayumu waved her hands in the air as she started to walk back home.

"See you Nishizawa-san," said Hayate while waving his arm in the air.

"Have a safe trip Nishizawa-san," yelled Maria.

As Ayumu was walking back home she noticed one thing. Today might be filled with such misfortune for her, but something good did come out today's misfortune. Today, Ayumu was able to enter Hayate and company's apartment. Today, she was able to taste Hayate's delicious cooking.

…

…

/Scene with Hinagiku and Kyousuke.

"I also have another hobby, but it is a bit embarrassing for me to admit," said Kyousuke.

"Why would you be embarrassed about your hobbies?" asked Hinagiku. "It's not like you like to collect Barbie dolls or watch Barney still."

"No it's not that. Well, I also like anime and manga."

"Oh, really?" asked Hinagiku. "There's nothing embarrassing about that. Did you think I would stereotype and outcast you as an otaku and find you disgusting because of such hobbies?"

"Umm, actually that's exactly what I had in mind."

"Hahaha," Hinagiku let out a hearty laugh. "No no. I'm not a terrible person like that. I can't just prejudge someone because of their hobby, nor can I say a certain hobby is disgusting when my hobbies might be disgusting to another person."

"I guess you are right."

"So, which anime or manga are your favorite, and why do you like them?"

"I like the anime _Toaru Majutsu no Index_ because I like how there are like two different worlds with two different beliefs where people do not know nor acknowledge the existence of each other. One side is the religious side and the magician side. The other side is the science side and the psychic/esper side. Neither side except a few knows that the other side exists. Each side has conflicting views with each other and had been in a stand-still with each other waiting for the other party to make a move first. It's kind of like the cold war of 1947-1991 between the Soviet Union and America. I am waiting for the part when the Magic and Psychic side finally clash with each other in this series."

Hinagiku showed a small glare at Kyousuke as he was talking the anime. Kyousuke finally stopped and decided to ask Hinagiku something that was completely off-topic with what he was talking about. He felt like he was talking a bit too much about his hobby and was boring her out.

"Hinagiku-san, I remember you telling me you lived used to live in Tokyo. What school do you go to? Maybe I've heard of it."

"Me? Well what I'm about to tell you, you might not believe me. But let me ask you something else first."

Kyousuke was a bit confused at why Hinagiku would want to ask him questions before telling him what school she went to. Nonetheless, he agreed and Hinagiku proceeded to ask."

"You said that you went to Shinjuku alone and got lost one time right?"

"That's correct. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"I had been doing some thinking since yesterday, and I came to a conclusion about something. I think we met before prior to yesterday?"

"Really?"

"Yes. You remember how you got lost and then someone helped you out?"

"Yeah. It was about a year ago, and she said she was the student council -"

Kyousuke didn't finish his sentence as it seemed like he just remember something, thought up something new, or forgot something. Instead, Hinagiku started talking.

"When I got home yesterday, I did some thinking. I do remember something similar like that happening about a year ago. I do remember being in Shinjuku doing some shopping and saw this stranger who was alone and looked lost. I decided to help him out."

Kyousuke was surprised at what he just heard.

"So that means," said Kyousuke, "that you are the student council president of _Hakuō Academy_? That you are the student council president of such an illustrious school? Thee student council president who helped me out when I was lost in Shinjuku about a year ago?"

Hinagiku nodded her head and softly said, "Yes, that was me."

Kyousuke was silent for a few minutes before saying anything.

"This must be fate, huh?" said Kyousuke. "What are the odds of us meeting up again after all that time?

It is now about 3:00pm. Hinagiku and Kyousuke had been at the café for about an hour or so. Yes, the two were there for about an hour just talking while having just one chocolate milkshake each. Even after finishing their drink, they did nothing but talk at the table. There wasn't much customer at the time they were there so they didn't worry about other customers needing a seat. Regardless, just like what the employee who brought them their drink, anyone who saw Hinagiku and Kyousuke would mistakenly think that the two were either a couple or on a date. A date? Maybe, but not a couple.

"Oh my," Hinagiku said while looking at the watch on her wrist. It's already 3pm. I promised my mother to help her out today. I'm sure you are busy today also. Sorry if I took up your time."

"No no," replied Kyousuke, "I'm fine. I had a great time today. Go have fun helping your mother out. Bye!"

"Thank you," responded Hinagiku. "I had a fun time today too. Good bye!"

With that, Hinagiku and Kyousuke left the café and went on their day. As she was walking back home, she thought about something Kyousuke said and softly repeated it to herself.

"Fate, huh?"

…

~To be continued~


End file.
